All Grown Up College Days
by Meredith-Katherine Burke
Summary: Cheaper by the Dozen Sequel to The Love Triangle Alyssa and Audrey are in college now and face even more drama.
1. Chapter 1

!JAKE'S POV!

"Ok! Bye Mom! I love you!!" Mom left my dorm room where she had helped me drop off all my stuff. I looked around the room. It wasn't very big, but it will do. I dragged over my suitcase and laid it on my bed. I was in college now. Not a lot of stuff had changed since high school. Everyone was still together and I was rooming with my best friend, Kevin. All that changed really was how we looked. It was funny though. We were all still friends, me, Alyssa, Sarah, Audrey, Kevin, and Kyle, and then we end up going to the same college. Yup, we all went to the same college. UCLA to be exact. But the really weird thing is that the room Kevin and I shared, was next to Alyssa and her friend, Megan's room to the left, and Audrey and Sarah's room to the right. I was so excited to be going to college with my sis, girlfriend, and good friends. I heard a knock at the door. I turned to see Alyssa. "Hey baby!" She ran over to hug me. Her twin sister walked in slowly behind her. "Hey Jake!" I finished my hug with Alyssa and then gave Audrey a short hug. As I was saying before, our appearance was the only thing that had changed. Alyssa had grown more beautiful everyday. I was a lot taller, but I kept my hair the same. Alyssa was taller too. She was still thin and still was cuter than ever. She helped me unpack too. Then at our door appeared Kyle. He had grown a lot more outgoing since he was with us. He usually was a quiet guy that played every sport imaginable. "Hey Sarah!" Sarah spun around. "KYLE!!" She ran over to him and they hugged for a long time. After unpacking, me and Alyssa went to go explore the campus. We walked everywhere nearby and then drove around to see everything surrounding the campus. Me and Alyssa retruned back to her dorm. I kissed her and hugged her and then wished her a good night's sleep. She slipped into her room and I returned to my dorm. So this is what college was like.

!SARAH'S POV!

"Bye Dad! Love you!" Dad left my room while I was left in there alone. I am now in college. It's a hard idea to get used to. And I go with my brother, my boyfriend, and my best friends! How lucky is that? Our attitudes and "labels" haven't changed much since we all started hanging out together. But even though we were opposites we still got along. I was still my tomboyish self. But I've gotten better about showering more than once a week. Kyle still loved sports and still was involved in them a lot. Alyssa was her still popular, "hott" and girly self. Jake was still has his punkish style. Kevin was still the popular guy. And Audrey was still the weird, akward, shy girl. Haha, she still even had her happy bunny shirts. Right at the moment, Audrey came bursting into the room. "Sarah!!" She ran over and hugged me. "Look at this!" She backed up and showed me her shirt. It was red with happy bunny on it and it said "School prepares us for life, which also sucks." Audrey unpacked and headed next door to Jake and Kevin's room. After I unpacked and looked around the dorm a bit, i too headed over there. Alyssa was helping Jake unpack, Audrey and Kevin were hugging, and I ran over to Kyle and gave him a huge hug and kiss.It felt like I hadn't seen any of them in forever but really we had hung out the whole summer. We had survived high school together. The drugs, the sex, the peer pressure... everything. But now we were adults. Everything was going to be different now. After everyone was done unpacking, Kyle and I went exploring. After that, Kyle told me he had found a special spot for us to hang out at. He lead me out to a garden place where there was a gazebo. There were flowers everywhere. And it was beautiful. He took me out to the gazebo. "You know how my cousin used to go here?" I nodded my head. "Well he told me about this spot. he took his girlfriend here all the time, and no one comes around here. I just thought we could have alone time here." I smiled. This is one of the sweetest things Kyle had done. Then he kissed me. We talked for the rest of the night, until we notcied it had gotten dark. He suggested we should go back inside. I had one class with Kyle, which was awesome, considering how big the school is. He lead me to my dorm room door and kissed me good bye. I went in to find Audrey unpacking. I finished putting up the few things i had left out, brushed my teeth, washed my face, crawled in bed, and fell fast asleep.

!AUDREY'S POV!

I walked into my room to see Sarah unpacking. I was excited to see someone I knew. Especially my best friend. "Sarah!!" I yelled. I showed her my shirt (which I am famous for) Mom was in the other room with Alyssa. Ever since Dad died back in the 10th grade, it's been hard for Mom to do everything. I was actually kind of scared to go to college. I had been so dependent on Mom and now I was on my own. Hopefully I would get used to it. Sarah and I went over to Jake and Kevin's room. Kevin was in there and I ran over behind him and out my hands over his eyes "Guess who..." He laughed and turned around and hugged me. Kevin was a lot taller and bigger than me. He had hit a growth spurt over the past couple of years. It was easy for him to pick me up. I helped him unpack (seeing as how he was extremely unorganized because he was a boy.) After that, me and Kevin went around to check out the stuff. We went into the Cafe' to see what they had. When we were in line to get some food there was a guy in front of us that turned around and started talking to us. "Hi. Are you two new here?" "Yeah." Kevin answered for us. "I thought so. I"m Ethan." He stuck out his hand to shake Kevin's. "Hi I'm Kevin." Kevin returned his shake. "This is Audrey." Ethan nodded towards me. Then he looked down at me and Kevin's hands which were laced together. "So you two are an item?" "Yeah." "That's cool." The line finally got to him and turned around. Kevin and I shared puzzling looks and then waited. After Ethan got his food he turned around towards us. "I'll see you two around." He gave me a lingering look and then walked off. After we were done at the cafe', me and Kevin just walked around. Kevin then took me back to my room and kissed me good bye. I went into an empty room and decided to unpack After awhile Sarah finally came back. She unpacked which was left of hers. Then we crawled into our beds and drifted off to sleep.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

"Bye Mom! I love you!!", I told her as I gave her a hug. She left and I turned around to my empty room and stared at my suitcase, I really didn't want to unpack. But i had to sometime. I would be here for four years! Yup, four years! I was finally in college. Not to mention the same college as my best friends, boyfriend, and sister. I couldn't wait. I was really eager to meet my roommate. Just as I started packing my roommate, Megan walked in, and put on a little show. She was tall, skinny, and had shoulder length blonde hair. She smiled at me and made her way to her side of the dorm. We got more aquainted and I made my way next door to Jake's room. I gave Jake a huge hug and helped him unpack. (Gosh that kid is unorginized) After Jake and I finished packing, we walked (and drove) the campus, fingers laced and checked out our new home. Afterwards, we made our way back to our dorms. He gave me a hug and kiss and I slipped in and called my mom to make sure she was ok. After my dad died when i was in 10th grade, i had worried about her a lot. After we hung up, I crawled in and fell fast alseep.

!KEVIN'S POV!

I walked in my dorm that I shared with Jake at UCLA and took a big whiff. This was going to be my new home for the next four years. Jake was already in there. It was good to have a room with my best friend. We had been through a lot together. I started to un pack when I felt someone's hand's go over my eye's, it was Audrey, my girlfriend. Alyssa had also come in. And so did Sarah and Kyle. It was like a big reunion.After that, Audrey and I went to explore the building.We went to go hang out at the cafe'. And in line we met some guy named Ethan. He was some character all right... I could already tell that I didn't like him. He looked at Audrey way too much. After we looked around at our classes I took Audrey back upstairs and kissed her good night. Then I went back to my room. Without changing my clothes or anything, I went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

!JAKE'S POV!

I heard Kevin wake up early, but thankfully my classes start in the afternoon. I woke up around 10:00 and got ready to go to the cafe where I was going to meet up with Alyssa, Sarah, Audrey, Kyle, and Kevin for lunch. When I got there, everyone was there except Audrey and Alyssa. After we sat there for 10 minutes they cam running in and said they couldn't stay because they were going to be late for their Drama class."Ok, well good luck on your first day.", i said. "Thanks but i gotta go! love u!" she said as she and Audrey ran out of the cafe and down the hall. For the rest of the lunch we talked about how are day has been. Sarah told us about her first lacrosse class. She said there's this guy trying to show her up. His name was Adam or something. I didn't really think much about Adam at the time. So he didn't know Sarah had a boyfriend? The rest of the day went by pretty fast. My first class didn't seem like it was going to be hard. I think i was in for a pretty good year.

!KEVIN'S POV!

I woke up around 6:00 in the morning and got ready while Jake slept. My first class was elementary tecahing, my major. Sure, it didn't fit my image, but it was what I was interested in. I left the room quietly and headed off to my class. After I finished my two classes for the day, I headed down to the cafe to have lunch with everybody. Alyssa and Audrey ran in late and Audrey hugged me and then ran out the door. After eating, i went back to the dorm to finish up some homework and then Jake walked in. He sat down and started on his homework. Then i heard a knock on the door and i ran to answer it. It was Audrey. She wanted to see me. I thought it was something bad, but when I walked out she just pulled me into a kiss. "What was that for?" "I just miss you." I laughed slightly. "I missed you too." She grinned. She said she had to go then because she had to go do some homework for her other classes. She kissed me one more time and left. That was kinda weird. weird but nice. I couldn't complain. I decided to head down to the cafe to grab a late snack. when i got there i saw Audrey standing in line. i walked up and stood in the line with her. after we had been standing in the line talking for about 5 mins. this tall blonde haired guy walked up to us. "Hey Audrey" he said. "Hey Ethan" Audrey replied dully. he looked down at our laced fingers. "You two an item?" he asked kind of dissapointed. "yea, i said since the seventh grade" "oh" he looked down at his shoes. "well see ya tomorrow Audrey" he said as he walked off. "what was that about ?" i asked. "oh he's just a guy n my drama class." she replied. i shook it off but i think that guy has a crush on audrey. too bad, she's taken.

!SARAH'S POV!

It was the first day of school and normally i would be nervous but i wasn't today. College didn't seem like it was gonna be that hard. i think it was goin to be a good year. i went downstairs around 11 to eat with the rest of the crew and everybody was there except for Audrey and Alyssa. they ran in grabbed a snack and rushed out claiming if they didn't hurry they would be late for class. After that, I told the rest of the group about Adam. He was this guy in my lacrosse practice. I could've sworn he was flirting, but he kept passing the ball to me ans throwing me these smiles. And as most people know, I cant' stand guys like that. It didn't seem to phase Jake but i saw Kyle get an uncomfortable look on his face. "Don't worry Kyle. He's harmless" i said in a comforting way. He flashed me an uncomfortable smile. "I know honey" I smiled and then realized it was time for my other class to start. So i stood up and hurried off.

!AUDREY'S POV!

The next morning, I woke up early so I could look my best for the first day. I took a shower, did my make up, and all my other things. Sarah woke up a little after my shower. She had to be at lacrosse practice in 10 minutes. She started to run around the room getting her stuff together and then ran out. I went next door to Alyssa's room and I knocked on the door. Her room mate, Megan, answered the door and she let me in. It turns out Alyssa was still asleep. This happens all the time. you can never get her up! I pulled the covers back and started to push her. "Alyssa! Today is the first day of school! We're going to be late!" Her eyes opened slightly and then realization hit her. She jumped up and started to get read. After a while she finally finished. We were suppose to meet everyone at the cafe for some food but we didn't have time. She dropped by for a short appearance and then left. We arrived to Drama a little late and came running into the auditorium. The teacher said that they were about to do some improv. She asked a boy to come forth and a blonde haired boy that I had seen at the cafe the day before volunteered. Alyssa nudged me and I raised my hand reluctantly since no one else was. I went up to the stage. The teacher told us they we're best friends that just got in a fight. We went through the motions, but everytime I looked at the boy in the eye, he smiled. We finally finished the scene and I ran down to Alyssa and sunk down into my seat. After rehearsal the boy came up to me and introduced himself. I really didn't care who he was. After rehearsal, I felt like I needed to see Kevin so I ran up to his room quickly, and then met up with him again at the cafe, where Ethan was also. I couldn't tell what was this was going to lead to, but I felt uncomfortable around Ethan.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Ug, it was the first day of school and i slept in. I didn't wake up until Audrey came in my room and woke me up. I got dressed and ready in about 10 minutes and we rushed to the cafe just to grab a donut and tell the others we couldn't stay. we ran into the cafe and got what we needed, then i rushed over to tell the others we had to go . "bye jake love you" i said as audrey and i ran out the door to our class. We got there a little late but it wasn't a big deal, unlike high school. We took our seats and audrey went up to do an improvisation with some kid named Ethan or something like that. After class, he came up to audrey and i and introduced himself. I could sense her discomfort so i told him we needed to go and we headed off our separate ways back to our dorms.

!KYLE'S POV!

I was majoring in soccer, my favorite sport. And the school was known for a great soccer team. I was the goalie. We had to be there early and we had practice for the first part of the day. I was rooming with a guy I knew it high school, Matt. He was pretty cool. He was majoring in music and didn't have classes until around 4:00. I got up at 6:00 and went over the field immediately. Practice was pretty good. luckily in college you don't have to take a class you don't want to take. after both classes, i went upstairs and took a shower and changed my clothes. life was good right now and i needed to catch up on some sleeping so i laid down and slept for about 2 hours when i heard Jake knocking on my door. He said that it was time to go to the cafe. When we went Alyssa and Audrey were late and couldn't stay. Sarah started to tell us about lacrosse practice. She told us about a guy named Adam, and I got a little worried. I trusted Sarah, but I didn't know about this Adam guy.After i finished eating, i went up to my dorm to sleep but I couldn't. This Adam guy sarah talked about was getting on my nerves but i didn't know why. just something about him sent alarms off in my brain that he was bad news.


	3. Chapter 3

!JAKE'S POV!

Later that night of our first day, Alyssa and I decided to have a night out together since we couldn't spend anytime together. We went to the cafe. Alyssa told me about her drama class and how she was really excited about it. And I told Alyssa about my classes. After we ate and had some time to ourselves for once, i walked her to her dorm and kissed her goodnight. Afterwards, i went back to my dorm and went to sleep. The next morning, I was awoken by Kevin jumping all over the room. "What the heck are you doing?" "I'm late!" That was the last thing he said before he went running out of the room. I couldn't get back to sleep and I ended up getting out of bed. I got dressed and grabbed some breakfast and was ready a whole hour before my class started. I just sat around and thought of what Alyssa and i should do tonight. I couldn't really think of anything. i was way too tired. I decided I would invite her over to my dorm...

!AUDREY'S POV!

The next morning I was up bright and early. I didn't want to be late for drama that day. I called over to Alyssa's dorm after I woke up and had Megan make sure Alyssa was up by time I got there. We decided to skip brunch with the gang at the cafe so we could be on time. When I got over to Alyssa's dorm, she was ready (thank goodness). We made it to drama on time. The teacher announced our first play: Romeo and Juliet. I was physched about this. In high school we did Romeo and Juliet, but unfortunately I was only one of the castle guards. I was hoping that my talent would be more closely examined than last time. Alyssa decided that she wouldn't compete against me for Juliet and said she would rather be on the fashion design stuff, which if I do say so, would be awesome. But guess who is trying out for Romeo, yes... Ethan. Auditions were going to be at 3:00 later that day. And I was ready. Later that day, I had lunch with Kevin because we were both free. I told him about the Romeo and Juliet thing. Then I told him about Ethan and my creepy feeling about him. He said if I ever had a problem with him, I should tell him so he can go punch his eyeballs out. I love Kevin. Kevin walked me back to the dorm and I prepared for my auditions.

!SARAH'S POV!

School was going all right for me. I just got into a normal routine, going to classes and such. The Adam guy was still creepy. One day after practice he asked me if I would go out on a date with him. I declined and told him I already had a boyfriend. That night, Kyle and I went out to eat and Adam showed up and came over and sat with us. He must've been drunk or something because he was talking nonsense. After dinner, i went back to my dorm and after giving kyle a goodnight kiss, went inside my dorm. Guess who followed me? that's right, Adam did. he attacked me and all of a sudden everything went black. That was the last thing i remember. I woke up the next morning, and I looked around. I felt confused because I could hardly remember anything that had happened the night before. I went through the part that I remembered... I went out with Kyle, Adam followed me home... Adam! I looked on the floor and my clothes were all over the place, Adam had left a note on my desk. "You should've gone out with me." This was all a horrible nightmare.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

I was actually surprised with how quick i got into the swing of things. things were goin pretty well. Jake and I decided to go out to eat and see a movie to celebrate our survival so far. He took me to a very nice restraunt and we saw a scary movie. When we came back i invited him in because my roomy, Megan was out for the night. He came in and we just sort of hung out and played around with each other. The next thing I know, it's 3 o clock in the morning and i feel extremely cold. I realized why i was cold and it wasn't good. I looked on the floor and saw all my clothes spread out. Jake had apparently gone back to his dorm cuz he wasn't there. I was in panic. The realization didn't even hit me until afterwards. I didn't think much about it though, until i missed my time of the month...so i bought some pregnancy tests.

!KYLE'S POV!

Soccer was a lot rougher in college than it was in high school, but it made it much more fun. College was a blast so far. I had my girlfriend, my friends, and soccer, everything was good. I asked Sarah to go out with me a few nights after school started. While we were eating, some jerk came over. It was the guy that Sarah was talking about. He was drunk and was talking offensively to Sarah. After I had had enough, i suggested we go back to the dorms. I walked Sarah to her dorm, kissed her goodnight, and headed back to my dorm. I fell asleep very quickly and in the morning, Sarah was really sad and avoided me. Alyssa avoided Jake too. I think something fishy is going on. I guess I'll talk to Alyssa and Sarah about it later.

!KEVIN'S POV!

Boy, something sure is weird about that Ethan kid. he is hitting on Audrey a lot and he got the part of Romeo and Audrey is Juliet. Yup, that's right Audrey got the part! I'm so proud of her and trust her completely! it's that ethan guy I don't trust. A few nights later, Audrey came over while Jake was out and we studied... a little bit. Most of the time we just kissed, and it was nice because I felt like I hadn't seen her in awhile. She looked so beautiful and calm... but soon all that would change. The next day, I asked if she wanted to go out to dinner or something like that but she had agreed to get together with Ethan to rehearse for the play. My heart kind of tightened a little bit. I was left alone that night... Jake was out again and I had the place to myself. What was I going to do? I decided to take a nap. I took a two hour nap and when i woke up i figured Audrey was done rehearsing so i went to her dorm. Sure enough i didn't hear anything. I opened the door to surprise her and found her and Ethan i a full out make out session. I might not be that bright but i DO know that the kiss in romeo and juliette isn't that long and he doesn't put her hand up her shirt. It's a good thing i showed up now, or else he would've gotten her in bed with him. Then i looked more closely and realized, she was kissing him back!


	4. Chapter 4

!AUDREY'S POV!

The day after me and Kevin "studied" Ethan asked me if we could run lines. Even though I was still uncomfortable around him, I thought about the good of the play. Kevin asked me if I could go out with him, but I told him I had to run lines. I could see the disappointment on his face, but I knew he understood. Ethan came over and I let him in. We were going pretty good until we got to the kissing scene. Ethan pressed hard against my lips. After awhile, I knew it was time to stop. I tryed my hardest to push him away, but he had hold of me. I couldn't do anything. I heard my door open and I turned around just in time to see Kevin looking at me with a look on his face that could make anyone's heart break.

!JAKE'S POV!

I can't believe it. After 6 years, Alyssa and I finally...took our relationship to the next level. I was so surprised because in high school, she was so hesitant. I woke up at around 1 and saw Alyssa sleeping in the bed next to me. I then saw our clothes on the floor. I grabbed my clothes, put them on, and made my way to my dorm. When I got into my room, it looked like Kevin had banged the place up pretty bad. I just got into bed, and fell asleep thinking about what had just happened.

!SARAH'S POV!

After I read the note, I layed down and I started to cry. I didn't usually cry, but that was all I felt like doing. I had been violated and by a creep too. What was I going to do now? How was I going to tell Kyle? Was I pregnant? There were so many questions running through my head... but all I could think to do was... cry. After ignoring Kyle for a while and realizing that there was a good chance i was pregnant considering i was a week late, i ran to the store and grabbed some pregnancy tests. I rushed back to the dorm, and quickly followed the directions. It said positive. "Damn" I just sat there and cried some more. I fell asleep and finally woke up. The whole day, I avoided Kyle and Adam. And by the looks of things, Alyssa avoided Jake too. I wonder what happened with them. The question that kept popping in my head the most though was "How was I going to tell Kyle?"

!KEVIN'S POV!

"What the hell are you doin?" i yelled. "Dude, relax, just rehearsing for the play." Ethan said. In felt my eyes about to tear up. I ran back to my dorm and fell asleep crying. Jake wasn't there but i did'nt feel like waitin up for him. I didn't feel like going anywhere the next morning. I felt like tearing up everything in sight. It was quiet in the room and I had my head against the wall. I could hear Audrey in the other room crying. That made me feel like yelling. Why did Audrey do that to me. I hated Ethan and I hated her. Alyssa was avoiding Jake and Sarah was avoiding Kyle. What was up with everybody. They're so sad all the time. I was goin to ask Jake or Alyssa about what was wrong but neither of them were in classes.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

"Shit!" i groaned as i put my head in my hands. Positive. I was pregnant. How was i supposed to tell anybody without them flipping out? It was bad. I finished up in the bathroom and silently sobbed myself to sleep. I woke up in the morning and I didn't really feel like going to class. I really didn't want to face Jake and that had something to do with it. I mean how would he react? I hadn't heard much from Audrey lately... and Sarah either. Normally, i would be with them right now talking to them and trying to help with their problems but i had a big one of my own. That night, i heard Jake and Kevin out in the hallway talking so i figured i better tell him now. I walked out in the hallway to get him. "hey baby" jake said." listen i need to talk to you now" I looked at Kevin" and privately" Kevin got his hint and went in the dorm. "Listen Jake..." Jake got a worried look on his face" W-W-What is it?" he stuttered." This isn't easy for me to tell you but" I took a deep breath. " I'm pregnant" i said." YOU'RE WHAT?!?" Jake replied.

!KYLE'S POV!

I hadn't seen Sarah around lately and i was starting to worry about her. A few days later, I went to Sarah's room to check on her and see if she was okay. She told me to come in, but her voice was shaky and I could sense something was wrong. When I came in, all the the lights were dim and Sarah was laying out on her bed. "Are you ok?" Sarah hesitated,"Yeah." I looked around the room and I looked around the room, I saw on the desk some EPT's, I walked over and picked one up. "Are these Audrey's?" "No" she replied "I mean...what are they?" she asked. She sounded a little suspicious. "They're pregnancy tests" I said." o-o-oh i -i guess" she stuttered. "Sarah, i can tell when you're lying! Now are they Audrey's or yours?" Sarah looked down. "They're mine..." I could feel my nostrils flare. They always did that when I was angry. I looked at her for a long time, but Sarah never looked up. "So you're fooling around now. What happened to that promise where you said you would always be loyal to me. I have always been loyal to you... and you do this to me?" I started to storm out of the room and I could hear Sarah call out "Wait Kyle! Let me explain!" " I really don't want to hear it! but before i leave just one question, are you pregnant?" "Yea..." I didn't want to hear anymore. I ran out of her dorm and slammed the door. I rushed into my bed and cried.


	5. Chapter 5

!JAKE'S POV!

The next day, I opted not to go to any of my classes. Hanging around my friends lately hadn't really been fun. Everyone was sad... Kevin had muttered something about hating Audrey this morning but didn't seem in the mood to talk about it. I hung out in the room most of the day but went out to get a pizza with Kevin later. On our way back to the dorm, Alyssa came out from her dorm and pulled me aside. The conversation was a blur and the only thing that I remember was the 3 words that would change my life. "Jake, I'm pregnant."

!SARAH'S POV!

Kyle wouldn't listen to me. It made my whole world crash down. Audrey and I decided to have lunch together one day. "How are you doing?" "Not so good..." "What's the matter?" "Well... you know that Adam guy?" She nodded her head. "He raped me." Her eyes got wide. "And now I'm pregnant. Kyle won't listen to me though. He thinks I cheated on him..." "I'm so sorry!" She hugged me. "What's wrong with you?" "Mine isn't as bad as yours..." "No, it's fine." She changed the subject. "Do you know what's wrong with Alyssa?" "No, she has been acting weird lately and avoiding Jake lately. He's kind of been avoiding her some too." I said. "She hasn't even told me and I'm her sister... she always tells me everything." "Do you want me to find out what's wrong?" "It doesn't matter. I know I should... but I have a whole night's worth of homework calling me upstairs... I've gotta go and... I'm here for you. I can help you and Kyle ok?" I nodded my head. "All right, I'll see you later." "Bye."

!AUDREY'S POV!

The pressure of the play was starting to get to me. I get out; I agreed to have lunch with Sarah. She told me about how she was raped and pregnant now and how Kyle wouldn't listen to her. That made my problem seem like nothing. Later that night, me and Sarah went to go see Alyssa... she too was pregnant. What was I going to do? I had no one to confide my problem to... My boyfriend was mad at me because he thought I was cheating on him and wouldn't listen to my explanation. My sister and best friend were both pregnant. I had some weirdo guy stalking me and the pressure of school work was getting to me. My problems were mini compared to Sarah and Alyssa's so I was just going to have to deal with them. When I got back to my room, I pulled out my books and binders and started on my homework not knowing that I would be up half the night.

!KEVIN'S POV!

I was still angry with Audrey and she had made no effort to come and talk to me. I wanted to go beat up that Ethan guy and show him how much he has messed up my life right now. My friends were hurt themselves... but I too worries about myself to ask. Jake was acting like a freakin' nutcase, Alyssa barely came out of her room, and Sarah seemed out of it. I felt like my world was crashing down around me.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Ug, Jake hadn't talked to me ever since I told him. I've been a nervous wreck too. I've been throwing up a lot because of the morning sickness. Bleh. This is the first majorly huge fight Jake and I have ever had! I wonder if we'll ever make up. I was trying to think about that though. I started to miss so much class because I couldn't even get out of the bed. I felt like I had died and I was in hell or something. At this point everyone just thought i was sick. I really wanted to make up with Jake I mean did he seriously think this was ALL my fault?! How could he? I decided to talk to Sarah; she was his sister and knew him better then all of us. I didn't tell her about being pregnant though... I hadn't even told Audrey and she was part of my blood, I tell her everything. But I decided that Sarah could help me in the Jake department. I felt really bad about not telling Audrey though, she was my own flesh and blood, and she HAD to know so I decided to call both Audrey and Sarah down to my dorm room. I called them both and asked if they could come over. Luckily, Megan was out of the room, she was seeing her boyfriend. They arrived about a minute after I called them and I sat them on the bed, took a deep breath and began. "Listen guys, I have a huge problem. Please don't freak when u hear it because I need someone to be sympathetic. Do you promise?" They both smiled and nodded their heads. "Ok, well, the reason I've been sick and missing classes and the reason Jake and I have been ignoring each other is because- well, because we both messed up and it was a total accident and I didn't know it happened till after it did and I feel so bad and ug.." "Alyssa, what is it?" Audrey cut me off. I sighed. "I'm pregnant!" Sarah stared with a blank face. I don't think she really could grasp the idea. Audrey's jaw dropped and her eyes got really big and I think lost her breath for a moment. I couldn't stand it, I just started bawling right there. "I don't know what to do! Jake is blaming the whole thing on me, he's mad at me and won't say a word to me, and he's been acting so weird I hate it! I have no idea what to do!

!KYLE'S POV!

Ever since Sarah told me that she was pregnant, I had completely ignored her. I didn't want to hear her side of the story or anything. For all I knew, she could be making it up. She tried to call me one time, but I hung up on her and one time she tried to walk up to me, but I just walked away. Things had been so weird! I mean not just with me and Sarah, with everybody! I mean, Alyssa was hardly ever with us, she was hardly in classes i guess she was sick or something. Jake was completely ignoring Alyssa and Audrey and Kevin were fighting about who knows what. I wanted to know what was wrong with everybody... I obviously knew was wrong with Sarah ((she was cheating on me)), but I wanted to find out about the other people. Jake and I were going to have lunch that day, so I thought I should ask him about Alyssa. At lunch, I couldn't stand it anymore, I blurted it out. "Jake, if you don't' mind me asking, what's wrong with you and Alyssa?" He just kind of looked at me for a little while then he kind of whispered "Well, I went over to her dorm to well, study I guess and things got out of control and well, let's just say, now she's pregnant." I stared at him for a second. "What the heck did you do that for?!" I guess I said it kind of loud. "Shhhhh. I didn't do it... Alyssa did." "Yeah... right." "I'm serious." "It takes two to make one pregnant." He kind of looked at me then said "well, it is her fault; I mean I didn't do it! I couldn't of!" "You sound really stupid right now. I think you're in denial. Why don't you face it... you're going to be a Dad. Now go and support your woman." he sighed. "I guess you're right. But, I don't know what to do!" "Well, I'm sure Alyssa is having a harder time than you... why don't you help her." "Well, how? I mean, she must hate me!" "Now, you know Alyssa is not like that. She loves you. She's probably waiting for you to come back right now." "You think so?" he asked. "Yeah, I really do" I said. He gave me a quick hug, I must've really helped him because Jake isn't the hugging type, then he left and i ate a quiet dinner by myself. Thinking about what I just told Jake.


	6. Chapter 6

!SARAH'S POV!

After my lunch with Audrey, Alyssa asked Audrey and me to come over. She eventually told us she was pregnant. I still can't believe it. Alyssa would never do that... but I guess she did. Apparently, Jake isn't being a good sport about it either. Poor Alyssa. I'll have a talk with Jake; ill call him when I leave. I wasn't having much luck with Kyle either. I tried to call him one night, so we could talk about it, but he hung up at me. And one at the cafe he was there, and when I walked up to him, he walked away. I'm not sure what to do next, or who to talk to. I don't know who could help. Alyssa is having trouble with Jake, so it wouldn't be good to ask her or Jake. And Audrey is having trouble with Kevin... so it wouldn't be right ask her either. Ug, life is so complicated. It sucks. I decided I needed to talk to Jake; he was being totally unreasonable as far as Alyssa told me. I called him and told him I needed to talk to him. He came over a few minutes later. Audrey was down at the cafe, so we could talk alone. "I understand that you and Alyssa are having some trouble." "Yeah..." "And I also understand that you're blaming it all on her." "Well, it's all her fault! I mean I won't go into details but it usually is the girl's fault!" I was astounded. "Jake! You sound crazy! It's both the guy and the girl's fault! They both made the decision to do that! You can't just blame it on Alyssa because you don't want her to be pregnant! It doesn't work that way..." He sighed, "Whatever, I won't argue even though you're wrong. But correct me if I'm wrong, you're not having the best luck n that department either!" I looked at him for a long time. More like glared. He had crossed the line. I didn't know what to say and I could feel my jaw clench together. "You just had to go there didn't you? That is absolutely none of your business! It's not my fault either! I was raped, you can't control that and I can't control he got me pregnant. So just shut up!" I said tearing up. His eyes got big. "Sarah... I didn't know..." He stared at me for the longest time. I knew he didn't know how to help me. I started to feel the tears going down my face. I started remembering everything about that night and it made me upset. " Come here" he said pulling me into a hug." Wait, did Kyle rape you?" he asked. "No! Kyle wouldn't do that... It was some guy that has lacrosse with me. Adam..." "Oh...Sarah, I'm so sorry" he asked "Yea, but I didn't bring you over here to talk about me. I called you down to talk about Alyssa." I said trying not to tear up. I could see he felt bad about what he said to me. "It's ok Jake... you didn't know." He still didn't say anything. "JAKE! Its fine, I swear I'm not mad, but I really need to talk to you about Alyssa." "All right..." His head still kind of hung. "But do you want me to tell Kyle?" I shrugged my shoulders, but on the inside, I was screaming YES! "OK, I'll tell him, it's the least I can do." he said. "K, anyway...about Alyssa... u can't be mad at her, it's not all her fault, we already talked about it but I really want you to know it."

!JAKE'S POV!

After the conversation I had with Alyssa, I basically ignored her. I didn't want to talk to her or look at her because it was her fault and I can't believe that she had done that. I had lunch with Kyle a few days later. I told him what was going on. He helped me a little bit, but I still don't think I had anything to do with it. Then the next day, Sarah wanted to talk to me. I went over to her dorm, and she tried to talk to me. I brought up something that was a bit uncomfortable for her and I hurt her feelings. I eventually found that some joker on her lacrosse team raped her and now she's pregnant. I'm going to help her and tell Kyle what's going on. Before I could leave to go talk to Kyle, she told me she needed to talk to me about Alyssa I really didn't want to but it was the least I could do because I hurt her badly. "Listen, you can't blame her for everything, she couldn't have done that by herself... it takes 2." she said. I sighed, "That's exactly what Kyle said but I still don't blame myself." "Don't blame anybody... just face the facts. Alyssa just wants someone to be there for her and she's really hurt right now. You're not the one having the child... she is. So maybe you should help... well, you SHOULD help her..." I thought about it...I guess she's right but I'm still not convinced. I mean, a GIRL gets pregnant; it's her choice, not mine! I'm positive I'm right; too bad the others can't see it too. Sarah and I were pretty much done talking after that. I left and I started to think about what she said. I kept remember how she told me that Alyssa was hurt. I didn't want Alyssa to be hurt... even if I was mad her, I still loved her. The more I thought, the more I wanted to go apologize to her. I finally talked myself into it. I walked down the hallway to her room and knocked on the door. Megan answered and I saw Alyssa sitting on the floor with a bunch of papers scattered over the floor. She was smiling but when she looked up, her smile faded. She glared at me for a second and then looked back down at her papers and started to work on them again. "Alyssa... don't be like this..." She didn't respond. "I know... I've been a real jerk..." "you got that right..." she replied angrily. "Listen, I'm really sorry about the way I acted, I thought it was your entire fault, but now I know better." "Since when?" She didn't look very convinced. "Everybody had been telling me that I had an equal part in this." I came over and sat down by her on the floor. "And I know that if you're going to have this baby that it's partly my baby too... I want to be there for you Alyssa. I know it's a really rough time for you right now and I'm so sorry I've treated the way I did. I regret every second of it." She looked at me for a second then a huge smile spread across her face and she hugged me. I forgot how good it felt to hold her. Now that Alyssa and I were OK, the only thing I had to worry about was telling our parents...

!AUDREY'S POV!

The days seemed to be getting longer and the weeks too. It might have been the fact that I stayed up most the night, high on coffee. Alyssa had told me and Sarah that she was pregnant and that Adam guy raped Sarah. I knew that their problems were much worse than mine. But somehow I seemed to be getting sucked into my little problems... and spending my days in a zombie-like mode. I didn't have anymore time to worry about Kevin. As long as he wasn't bothering me, I was fine. Ethan was becoming an annoyance, though. He called every night asking if we could run lines. I tried my best to think of a different excuse every time. "No Ethan... I have to go see my sister. She's really sick." "Oh... well, maybe tomorrow." "Yeah..." I would hang up and take another sip of my coffee and continue to work on the endless homework. I wasn't sure if other people having as much trouble or if it was just me. I was also struggling to remember the lines. During practices, Ms. Calloway would get frustrated with me because I had trouble getting the lines at times. All through the practices, I could feel Ethan's eyes on me. I tried to ignore it, but it just distracted me even more. Not even the weekends could give me a break. I felt two hours from a shut down. I felt like my eyes weren't open all the way that everything was unreal... like I just came home from pulling an all-nighter at a sleepover. Alyssa hardly ever made it to drama and some of her other classes. She still managed to semi-keep up. I was actually proud of her. She wasn't getting too distracted by anything. And Sarah... well, Sarah's life is sports... and that's her passion. I don't think anything could get her mind off that. On one of my many sleepless nights, the phone rang while I was working on my lines for Romeo and Juliet. "Hello?" "Hey." "Who's this?" "Kevin."

!KEVIN'S POV!

Things hadn't gotten too much better, in fact, not better at all. I was really starting to miss Audrey but told myself to because she cheated on me. I noticed changes in everybody. Jake finally came back to the dorm, late at night, actually happy. "What's up with you?" He grinned at me. "Alyssa and I are back together." He told me what happened and how good it felt to hold her in his arms again. I started to think about how I used to hold Audrey... and she felt so soft. I'll be right back. I walked into the bathroom with the cordless phone and dialed her number. She seemed surprised but she didn't hang up thank goodness. I really wanted to talk to her in person so I asked if she could come over so we could talk. She agreed and a few minutes later, she arrived. When she came in I noticed she looked really different. She wasn't the girl I used to know who hadn't a care in the world. There were bags the size suitcases under her eyes, her shoulders were slouched over, and her hair was a mess. "Sorry I don't look so great..." "It's all right." "Listen, about the night I came in during your play practice thingy..." "I know! Just let me explain, we were practicing and he wouldn't stop kissing me, I tried to pull away and he wouldn't let me go, I really did try to get away from him." "I know...it's OK ...I just want to talk to you." She seemed less tense then. "All right. You forgive me then?" "Definitely." I reached out my arms and she seemed to fall into them. "You don't look so good though, are you OK?" I asked. "Well..." she began.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

After a while of talking to Sarah and Audrey, they left and I had some time to think. Not that much time though, Megan came back to the room and I started to work on assignments I had missed. After a while of working and laughing with Megan, there was a knock on the door and Megan answered it. It was Jake... I really didn't want to talk to him then. He was getting on my nerves. He sat down and started talking but I ignored him. But the words "I'm sorry" caught my attention and I couldn't help but forgive him. A smile crept across my face and I gave him a hug. It felt good, to be back together again (even though technically, we had never broken up to begin with). Jake stayed for a while and helped me with my work and we had a chance to catch up. It felt really good.

!KYLE'S POV!

A few nights after I had the talk with Jake, I was doing my homework. Someone knocked on my door and I answered it. It was Jake. He was smiling from ear to ear. "Hey man. What's up?" "Well... I came over to talk about Sarah. "Oh... But why are you smiling so much?" "Well, Alyssa and I are together again." "That's awesome!" "I know... but about Sarah... you don't know the whole story." "Look...I know she cheated on me and is now pregnant with some other guys baby, how could she possibly have a GOOD explanation for that?" I asked. "This guy from her lacrosse team, Adam or somethin' " Jake said but I cut him off. "So that weird kid is the one she cheated on me with! That's pathetic." I said aggravated "No, listen dude, he raped her, he followed her back to her dorm and raped her, it's not her fault, and she loves you and wouldn't do that to you!" he said calmly. I repeated his words in my head over and over again. "He ... raped her?" I couldn't get my mind around the concept. Jake nodded. I walked backwards and sat on my bed. "He... raped her?" "Dude, I am so sorry... That guys a jerk..." "No kidding..." I couldn't believe it, I had been mad at her for all this time when she was a victim. I should've known she would never do that to me. How could I even let that thought cross my mind? "I feel like the worst person on the planet right about now." "Dude, don't sweat it, it was an honest mistake." That's not how I felt though. "I gotta go." I hopped up and ran out the door and down the hall. I stopped at Sarah's door and hit the door, hard. I was waiting impatiently, until Sarah finally opened the door. She looked horrible. Her eyes were swollen and hardly open and she looked very tired and sick. I grabbed her and hugged her. "Sarah, I'm so sorry. I never gave you a chance to tell me. I was so stupid. I'll be here with you the whole time. Are you all right?" She looked at me kind of weirdly but then smiled and hugged me back "I'm fine now that I have you back. I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

!JAKE'S POV!

I was so happy that Alyssa and I were back together again. It was almost like we had just started going out for the first time. Alyssa would still get sick, but that's ok because I was there holding back her hair. I love everything about her and I didn't realize how much I missed her. There were plent of nights that I would stay with her in her dorm, just to keep an eye on her. I felt that now that she's pregnant, i have to take extra good care of her. Just to be safe. We still needed to tell our parents. We decided to do it together. I came over the next day, and we sat at the phone together... just staring at it. For a long time too. "So... whose parents are we going to call first?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't know... I'm starting feel sick... but I don't think because of the baby." "Me too." "You know what, Jake?" Alyssa asked me. "What?" "I think we ought to tell them in person, it would probably make it easier ...at least a little bit" she told me. "You know, you're right." She smiled at me. I put my arm around her and tried to comfort her. "I know this is really hard and stressful, but just take it one day at a time... that's the only way we'll make it." "You're right too." "How about, we go check the flights and we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, since it's a Saturday" I suggested. "All right" she said weakly. We went down to the computers and bought some tickets online for 8:00 AM flight to Chicago. It was getting pretty late and so we both went to bed after packing. We got up in the morning, loaded our bags into the back of my car, and drove to airport.

!KYLE'S POV!

After spending a long time talking to Sarah about just about everything, I headed back to my dorm and crawled in my bed to get some sleep. Today had ended great, I couldn't be happier. Not only because Sarah and I were back together, but because our trust for each other had grown. Then, I started to think... we had to tell our parents... at least she did. And I knew they wouldn't be happy about, especially they were going to get a double blow with Jake and all. My stomach started to feel weird... but then I thought about Sarah. Then I wondered what she was thinking. I quickly got out of bed and went to Jake's dorm. I knocked on the dorm and asked him "hey, when are you gonna tell your parents about Alyssa being pregnant?" He said "Alyssa and I are flying up there tomorrow, why?" "Well...Sarah and I need to tell your parents too...mind if we come with you?" "Uh no, not at all He gave me the flight information."OK see ya". After that, I went to Sarah's dorm and when she opened it I said "hey, pack your bags, we're leaving on a plane tomorrow at 8 to go to Chicago, we need to tell your parents, and mine about what happened." "Tomorrow?" Her eyes got wide and she sat down. "Are you all right?" I walked over to her. "Yeah... except I'm scared out of my wits. My parents don't take these kinds of things lightly. I mean, me and Jake are just going to arrive at their front door... both pregnant. They're going to flip! What if they never let me see you again?" "Why would they do that? I didn't even do it! Plus, you're an adult now, Sarah." "Yeah, I guess you're right about that... but they may never forgive me and that breaks my heart." "It's not your fault though." "But they won't understand that!" "Of course they would! It wasn't your choice or anything! I mean, you were raped!" "I guess you're right" "plus, they'll be too busy dealing with Jake and Alyssa to do anything I joked. She didn't seem to find it too funny.

!AUDREY'S POV!

Kevin came over that night he called. He apologized and everything and I felt so relieved. Even if I felt totally exhausted and like I was going to pass out any moment, I felt like I was flying at the same time. When he hugged me, I felt like stayed there forever. "You don't look so good, though... are you OK?" "Well... I've been pulling all nighters for the past week or so trying to get everything done. And I haven't been able to take care of myself at all and I've been worrying about Alyssa and Sarah and everyone else and my stupid homework... I just fill sick and run down. And..." I pulled up my sleeve and showed him my cut up arm. He stared at it for awhile. "Audrey... what have you done to yourself?" He pulled me into another hug and rubbed my back. "Everything will be all right. I'll make sure of that. We're going to pick up your pieces and put you back together. First things first, you need to go to sleep." "Not yet... I still have lines to go over." "Not right now. You can wait till tomorrow. You may have to miss a class." "Miss a class? Why?" "You need to take care of yourself. Come here..." I was half asleep by the time Kevin said come here. He picked me up off the couch and carried me over to my bed and laid me down. "Just sleep until you can't sleep anymore. I'll stay with you." Kevin lay down beside me and wrapped his arms around me once more.

! SARAH'S POV!

Things had been going great, Jake and Alyssa had made up, Audrey and Kevin had made up, and Kyle and I had made up. I was so caught up in the good things that I had totally forgotten about one huge obstacle. My parents. I had to tell them, I mean it would come out sooner or later. About 11 o' clock on Friday, Kyle came over and told me we were leaving for Chicago with Jake and Alyssa at 8 o clock tomorrow. I packed quickly and went to sleep. I woke up at around 6:00 to get ready. We were supposed to meet Jake and Alyssa at the airport at 6:30. That would give us plenty of time to get everything done. All morning I felt sick. From the baby and from the fear of telling my parents. I tried to take deep breathes and such... but it was no good. "Kyle... I'll be back in a second." I ran into the bathroom and hurled. I still felt sick and Kyle came in and held my hair back. After what seemed like forever of going through security and other things, we finally boarded the plane. We all four sat together in a little 4 person row. It was perfect. I sat at the very end of the row and Alyssa sat next to me so we could make a quick trip to the bathroom if needed. Jake sat next to Alyssa and Kyle sat next to Jake. Right when we landed, Alyssa got a call from Audrey on her cell phone. Her and Kevin were on the next plane and were only 45 minutes away from Chicago. We waited for Audrey and Kevin's plane. We all checked in to a hotel. To avoid further problems, Jake, Kevin, and Kyle shared a suite and Audrey, Alyssa, and I got the next door suite. We decided to go to the Baker's for dinner (even thought they didn't know we were coming) around 5 and maybe they could invite Alyssa and Audrey's Mom over. We got there around 4:45 and rang the doorbell. Dad answered. He was surprised to see us. He brought us in and we had a little reunion with mom and dad. Mom invited over Alyssa and Audrey's mom for dinner. When she got here, we all just sat on the couch and talked along with the other Baker kids that lived there still. There were both sets of twins, Mark and Mike. Nora was also visiting. When dinner was ready, we all went and sat down at the table and my stomach was as wild as ever.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Now that Jake and I were back together again, we decided we needed to tell our parents. We bought the tickets for the next day. Saturday morning, Jake, me, Sarah, and Kyle headed for the airport and after going through security and everything, we boarded the plane. I got a call from Audrey and she and Kevin had boarded the next flight. After all 6 of us had gotten our luggage (we had waited for Audrey and Kevin) we headed for the hotel and the girls roomed together and the boys roomed together. We showed up at the Baker's house around 5 for dinner, we figured we'd surprise them. I was really nervous because we were planning on telling our parents about us being pregnant and I had a feeling that Audrey was going to tell Mom about her having a total breakdown and resorting to cutting. The Bakers were very excited to see us and invited my mom over for dinner. When mom got there, we had a little reunion with Mr. and Mrs. Baker, my mom, and 7 of Jake's siblings (both sets of twins, mark, mike, and Nora) and we sat down to dinner. I didn't have much of an appetite and my mom kept asking if I was ok. I just smiled and would say yes, but I wasn't. I felt bad and I was nervous...really nervous. After dinner, we talked for a little while and then Sarah started crying. She stood up and told her parents she was pregnant. After they freaked out, she explained what had happened with Adam and they just held her. I was fidgeting really badly and I had to throw up. I ran to the bathroom and when I came back, everyone started bombarding me with questions. All I could do was stare at them. Then i started crying Audrey stood up, and started hugging me. When I looked at my Mom, I could see the question in her eyes. I nodded my head. She started to bawl too and walked over to me and held me too. I felt bad, though, because I didn't have a story like Sarah's and I didn't know how to explain it to Mom. All the Bakers (except for Jake of course) looked at me with questions in their eyes. "What's going on?" asked Mike. "Mr. and Mrs. Baker, mom, I am so sorry, it was irresponsible" I stuttered. "What's wrong, honey?" asked Nora. "I'm pregnant too!, but I wasn't raped. I don't really have a good excuse except I didn't know what had happened when it did happen!" All of the Bakers sat and looked at me and Jake with their mouths open. After my mom was done crying, she started yelling. "I can't believe you were irresponsible! This isn't like you Alyssa, how could you DO that! You have given shame to the family!" After the Bakers were out of their shock, the boys were over giving Jake high fives, Nora , Jessica, and Kim were comforting me, and Mr. and Mrs. baker were yelling at Jake. I would've stood up for him but I was dealing with MY mother and I couldn't get a word out because I was crying so hard.

!KEVIN'S POV!

Audrey had explained to me everything that was going on. It made me feel horrible for everything I had done to her to cause a lot of it. I felt like it was my duty to put her back together. I decided that I was going to spend as much time with her as I can. We heard that Alyssa, Jake, Sarah and Kyle were all going to Chicago to see their parents and to tell them the news. I decided that Audrey needed a break and that we were going to go too. We left on Saturday at around 9:30. We got to Chicago and checked into the hotel. Around 5, we all went to the Bakers. So Sarah and Alyssa and Jake could give the news of pregnancies and so Audrey could tell about her cutting problem. I wanted to be with Audrey the whole time because I knew it was hard for her to talk about. While we were eating dinner, though, everyone found out about Alyssa and Sarah. There was a lot of crying, hugging, and yelling. I wasn't sure who to comfort so I stayed in my seat. Audrey and Alyssa's mom was yelling at the top of her lungs at Alyssa, Jake's parents were yelling at him, Jessica, Kim, and Nora were hugging Alyssa and the guys were giving Jake high fives. Sarah and Alyssa were both crying their eyes out; Jake was pretty close to crying, if he wasn't already. Audrey and I just sat there trying to think of how to tell them. After things calmed down a bit, Alyssa was still crying a lot and Jake was holding her, Kyle and Sarah were just sitting there staring into space and that's when Audrey came out and said it "Mom, I have something to tell you." "You're not pregnant too are you?" "No, nothing like that, but you see I've been dealing with a lot of stress lately, dad dying, Kevin and I were fighting, Alyssa and Sarah were pregnant and fighting with Jake and Kyle and I resorted to cutting" She lifted her sleeves and showed her the scrapes. That's what did it, Mrs. McCool fainted. Alyssa didn't move but Audrey ran up to her to see if she was OK. Audrey tried to wake her Mother up, but then just gave up. She sat back and started to cry her eyes out. Alyssa did the same and Jake and I both came to the rescue. I put my arms around Audrey and started telling her everything was all right. "It was the wrong time... it's my entire fault." She kept saying over and over. I just kept my arms around her and we rocked back and forth.


	8. Chapter 8

!JAKE'S POV!

Things were bad after we told everyone about all the problems. There was yelling and crying. I was so confused. When my parents found out, I could see the disappointment in their eyes, but they tried to support me and Sarah the best they could. Alyssa and Audrey's Mom on the other hand, had a hard time handling it. Then Audrey told her about her cutting problem (which I didn't even know anything about) then she fainted. By this time, my mom and dad were "lecturing" me on the subject, Sarah and Kyle were pretty calm, Alyssa was crying harder then she ever has before, I was holding Alyssa telling her to calm down, and Audrey and Kevin were checking on Alyssa's mom. After I had looked around, I tuned back into Mom and Dad. "We are so disappointed in you Jake... You're going to be a teen parent!." "I'll be responsible for my actions." "You aren't acting responsible." "Because you're treating me like a kid!" "Don't yell, son!" I did like I would've done when I was younger. I turned around and ran up the stair into what had been my room. But when I got in there and slammed the door, all there was, was a bunch of junk in there. I couldn't help it, a few tears slipped down .A few minutes later, my dad walked in "Son, I know you're upset, but this is huge. It's going to change your life forever. You didn't even think of the consquences." "I know dad. I guess we were just caught up in the moment." "I know son, but I've been thinking of what your options are Alyssa could get an abortion, u could put the baby up for adoption, or you and Alyssa should get married." "We are definitely NOT going to put it up for adoption and Alyssa's not getting an abortion!" "So you're going to get married?" "I don't know I haven't thought about it" I thought about marrying Alyssa and a part of me wanted to and it sounded like a good option... but then the other part of me was scared. That was a huge commitment... I knew I was going to get married to Alyssa anyways, but now seemed a little bit soon. I mean, sure I love her more then anything; more then anyone could love a person and I would absolutely love to, but we were only 18. I mean that seemed a little young for that kind of commitment.

!SARAH'S POV!

After dinner, I started bawling and pretty soon everyone knew about mine and Alyssa's pregnancies and Audrey's cutting problem. I wasn't yelled at all because it wasn't my fault but Alyssa and Jake didn't get off so easy they were yelled at and as soon as Audrey told her mom about her cutting problem, Mrs. McCool fainted. I felt bad when I watched Mom, Dad, and Jake yell each other. I mean, sure he shouldn't have done it... but I think he's been pretty responsible. After Jake ran upstairs, and then Mom when up after him, Dad started asking me questions about the guy that raped me. It sounded as if he wanted to turn him in... This is the last thing I wanted to do. I just wanted to forget all about it. I answered the questions and after everyone had enough, we went back to the hotel... On the way out, I pulled Jake aside. "So...what did dad talk to you about when u ran up the stairs?" his eyes were red so I knew he had been crying. "Oh. Just what would happen with the baby. He wants me to marry Alyssa." My eyes grew wide. "Marry Alyssa? Are you going to?" He shrugged and went to go check up on Alyssa. Kyle then came out. He wrapped his arms around me. "Sarah, I am so glad we're back together. I was so stupid." He leaned down and kissed me. "Me too" I said after the kiss ended. "Listen, I just want u to know a few things before any ideas might pop their way out there" I started." I do not want to have an abortion and I don't really want to put it up for adoption but if it'll upset you, I will, I don't want u to feel weird around her/him just because your not the biological father. "Sarah, that idea never even crossed my mind. I don't believe in abortions... its murder. I won't feel weird around the kid either. I will act like its father... so I think I am technically his biological father." "That's sweet of you." "I know." "Where did this subject come from anyways?" he asked. "Oh nowhere just my dad had a conversation with Jake and it kind of got me thinking." "Oh, I was afraid that you thought I was acting weird or something."

!KEVIN'S POV!

Mrs. McCool fainting didn't really keep the noise down. About five minutes after she fainted, Jake got into another fight with his parents. He ran upstairs and I heard a door slam. Alyssa just sat there on the couch crying. It all seemed like a nightmare. After everyone calmed down a little, the 6 of us decided to leave. Jake and Kyle looked like they were in deep deep thought. Which I didn't know was possible. I decided to see what was up with them. After I said good night to Audrey and we were safely back in our hotel room, I asked Kyle and Jake what was up. Jake answered first. "Well, my dad said that I should marry Alyssa. I mean, I love her more than breathing... but it's scary. I don't know what I should do." I for one was kind of shocked I had never even thought about marriage...at all! "Wow...that's a pretty big step! What're you going to do?" Jake shrugged. "I don't know, man. I'm seriously considering it. I mean, I know that's the best thing to do... but it's so scary." "Well, I wouldn't be too scared if I were you, I HIGHLY doubt that u and Alyssa will break up and I highly doubt even more you'll find someone else to marry." "You've got a point there... should I ask her to marry me?" He paused. "That sounds so scary... but I do like the sound of Alyssa baker." he grinned. "Well, I think you should but that's just me. It's really up to you." I shrugged. "I really don't want to get involved. It's your business," "Well good luck, and make sure you make it really romantic because I bet Alyssa will only get proposed to once. , so what's up with you Kyle?" Kyle looked up. "I don't know... I'm just scared about having a... kid." I nodded. "I would be to." "And today Sarah asked me how I would feel around the baby since I wasn't the biological father. I hadn't really thought about it. I told her not to get an abortion and not to put it up for adoption but I just don't know how I feel. "That's a tough one, man." "Yeah... tell me about it."

!AUDREY'S POV!

Kevin was nursing me back to health. I forgot about how amazing he was. I absolutely love him. We went with Jake, Sarah, Alyssa, and Kyle over to Chicago to go see out parents and tell them how everything is going ((the obvious)) I was planning on telling Mom about my cutting problem because I felt she needed to know. After dinner, everything came out. Everyone found everything and when Mom found out about me cutting, she fainted. I felt horrible. She came too after awhile and said that we would talk about it later. I was really proud of Alyssa, though because she told Mom and it wasn't too awful. After much chaos, we all finally went back to the hotel. I was glad to get into a room with just my sister and my best friend. "Wow guys, that was rough." The two were quiet and just nodded. "How are you guys doing?" They both mumbled and kind of nodded. "Do ya'll want to talk about anything?" Sarah spoke up first. "I'm scared that Kyle isn't going to like this baby because he's not the biological father." "Where did you get that theory from?" "I don't know... he's just been acting kind of weird." "Sarah, don't think that way. He'll love the baby because he loves you." Sarah half smiled and nodded and Alyssa and I hugged her. "What about you Alyssa?" She sighed. "Well, I heard Jake and his dad talking and she gave him three choices. I can get an abortion, put the baby up for adoption, or me and Jake need to get married." "I'm assuming he chose marriage." "Yeah, but... I don't know. Marriage sounds really scary... But I wouldn't mind getting married to Jake." She smiled and sighed again. "Aw, Alyssa. You and Jake are meant for each other. You're going to get married no matter what... at least I think so. Just think about it this way, the sooner you get married the closer you'll be to your 50th anniversary." Alyssa grinned now. "You do have a point there."

!ALYSSA'S POV!

After all the chaos at the Baker's house, and finding out that Jake and I were probably going to get married, I was glad to be back at the hotel. We all went to our rooms; we were too tired to do anything else. When Audrey, Sarah, and I got back to the room, we talked for a while. Sarah was scare that Kyle wouldn't love the baby as much since he wasn't the biological father, but I had a huge decision to make! I overheard Jake and his mom talking and she wants Jake and me to get married. I have no clue what to do. I tried to seem like it was no big deal and that I was so ready to marry Jake, but in reality I was so scared! I mean, I'm only 18 and marriage is a HUGE commitment. I asked Audrey and Sarah "do you think I should marry Jake?" "I think you should." "Really? I mean it's a big commitment! And I'm only 18!" "Alyssa, who else are you planning on getting married to?" "True..." I sighed . I was so confused and I couldn't talk to Jake about it, he didn't know I knew. "Will you do me a favor you guys? Will you talk to your boyfriends and see if Jake has told them anything?" "Sure!" "Thanks, wow guys I'm so scared right now its not even funny." Around midnight, we got a call from the boys, they wanted to tell us goodnight. When Jake asked to talk to me, I was too scared to speak. "Goodnight honey I love you!" Jake said sweetly "goodnight I love you too." I stuttered "I love you." "I love you too, see you in the morning." I had a lot of thinking to do!

!KYLE'S POV!

I was so glad to get out of the Bakers house after so much drama. The guys and I talked for awhile about Jake getting married, and I really think he was going to go through it. But I was thinking about Sarah and the baby. We were going to be such young parents. I was pretty scared too. I mean wed be 19 year old parents. Imagine that, it's pretty scary I don't know hardly anything about kids. This was just sprung on me I mean I barely know how to change a diaper. Well... I DIDN'T know how to change a diaper. I never had to do that. Would I be a good Dad? I was starting to doubt myself... What if I was such a horrible dad, Sarah and my kid turned out to be some drug dealer or something. I hated to think these things. I decided to call Sarah. "Hello?" "Hey baby. I'm sorry to wake you up, but I was just thinking about things and stuff... and what if I turn out to be a horrible Dad... and the kid becomes a drug dealer or something." Sarah let out a small laugh "honey, its late you're probably just tired, why don't you get a good nights rest and talk about it in the morning, I bet you're going to be a great dad anyways." I smiled at the sound of her voice. "All right... you're probably right. I should probably go to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night... I love you." "I love you too." "I think Jake and Kevin want to talk to Alyssa and Audrey too, so u can hand the phone to one of them." After we all said our goodnights, we all climbed in bed but I highly doubt any of us fell asleep fast, I was thinking about being a dad and poor Jake, he had marriage on his mind! Uh I needed sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

!JAKE'S POV!

I was planning on asking Alyssa to marry me sometime that week. It made me nervous, though, thinking about it. I would get butterflies in my stomach when we'd see each other. I had no clue how I would ask her because I was too nervous to think about it. I still needed a ring too; I decided to ask Kevin and Kyle for a little help. I decided to ask Kevin first because he usually had all the right answers. "Hey Kevin..." "Yeah?" "Could I talk to you about something?" "Sure, what's up?" "Well, you know how I'm planning on asking Alyssa to marry me?" "Yeah." "Well... I don't how to ask her and I don't know where to get a ring so quickly either." Kevin thought for a second. "Well, do you remember back when we were younger and we would go over to your house and hang out and go swimming and play truth or dare?" "Yeah?" "Well, do you remember how you and Alyssa started going out that night we had gone swimming in your pool?" "Uh-huh..." "Well, you can have a dinner our by the pool at your parent's house and you can make the dinner and everything... then pop the question. And the ring thing... well I guess you might have to ask your parents for some money since they're the ones that want you marry her anyways." "Hm… I guess that's a good idea, I kind of wanted to surprise my parents, so maybe they can go out the night it happens. God Kevin I'm so scared...I don't know why, I know that Alyssa and I were meant to be together! Why am I so scared?" "It's a huge step in a relationship... I mean the hugest one yet. But after it happens, I'm sure that you'll be glad that you did it. I don't know much about it, though because I'm not the one that's about to ask my girlfriend to marry me. But I think it really is the best choice." "Yeah you're right, when do you think I should do it? I need a little time to work up the nerves. But I don't know how long I can hang round Alyssa; it makes me feel all weird." "Really? I guess it's just the nerves. I think that you should do it the night before we leave... that way you can tell your parents and get everything prepared in time." "Good idea" Now that I got Kevin's advice I figured id better get Kyle's too, just to be on the safe side. "Hey Kyle." "Yeah?" "I need a little help." "Sure dude, what is it?" "Well you know how I'm going to propose to Alyssa?" "Yeah." "Well I need your advice." "What about?" "Well, I'm just really nervous and I'm not really sure what to do." "I would be nervous too..." Kyle trailed off. "So... do you have any advice?" "Oh... well... whatever you want." I could tell that Kyle was really distracted, so that was no good. "Thanks... I guess" "No problem..." I guess ill take Kevin's advice. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next three days around Alyssa, I feel really weird around her.

!SARAH'S POV!

I was so glad to get back to the hotel. The night had been way too much for me. Alyssa, Audrey, and I decided to talk back in our room; there was a lot to talk about. Apparently Jake is going to ask Alyssa to marry him. I didn't say anything, but I was secretly scared that I was going to lose my brother. He had always been my best friend... but things were going to be different if they got married and then had a kid to watch after. I was scared that Jake would forget about me. It had happened to a lot of other people so why not us? I mean I'm happy for them, but also scared I wondered if Kyle and I should get married... it would be nice to get married to him, but at the same time I didn't think I was ready, Jake probably felt the same way I did. Alyssa probably did too, ever since she found out Jake was going to propose, she acted like a nervous wreck. Poor Alyssa. I decided to talk with her, if not, she might explode or something. "Hey Alyssa, are you doing all right." She seemed to have been daydreaming. "Oh yeah... I've just been thinking a lot. I'm pretty stressed out, though." "How come?" "I've been thinking about marriage a lot. I'm scared to get married." "I'm sure that's normal." "Yeah but, uh… I just don't know, sure Jake and I are going to get married no matter what, this just seems too soon. Did Kyle say anything about Jake proposing, to you?" "Oh... I haven't really talked to Kyle that much. Every time I do, he seems to be kind of out of it... I don't know what's wrong with him. All the guys have been acting really weird." "Oh, really? I haven't really paid attention, I think I'm going to take a nap, I don't really feel that great... I haven't slept in a while." "All right... I hope you feel better, Alyssa." All of a sudden, I felt something weird in my stomach. I looked down and I knew that the baby was starting to kick. This really freaked me out and I couldn't even comprehend it. I walked over to a chair and sat down. I was feeling pretty sick myself. This was just way too much for me. I didn't know what else to do. I just started to cry. I can't wait for all this to be over. All over.

!AUDREY'S POV!

The next day, I was the first one up. Since Alyssa and Sarah are pregnant and are getting further into the pregnancy, the two had been really tired and sleeping in late. I had just finished taking a shower when someone knocked on the door. I went to answer it and it was Kevin. "Hey baby." He gave me a huge hug. "How are you doing this morning?" "Pretty good." "I was just wondering if you wanted to go eat breakfast and then I could help you run lines." I remembered that the play was happening the week after we got back from spring break. "Sounds good! I'll go get my jacket." I grabbed my jacket and then wrote a quick note for Alyssa and Sarah. Kevin and I went out to have breakfast. We got to talk a lot and it was nice because we hadn't been able to do that for awhile. When we got back to the hotel, Kevin said he was going to go take a nap and shower before we ran lines. I walked into the hotel room, and Sarah was sitting in a chair crying. I ran over to Sarah. Crying hysterically and could barely talk. I finally got her to calm down. "The baby just kicked..." She said through tears. "Oh Sarah!" I grabbed her and started to hug her. "I know this feels like a horrible situation. But you can make it... you can do anything. I'm here for you." "I just want to go away... I hate this." "I know you do. Here, maybe you should go take a nap and you'll better when you wake up." "All right..." I guided Sarah to her bed and she laid down and I tucked her in. Later, Kevin knocked on the door again and this time we were going to run lines. I let him in and I gave him a copy of the script while I was going to do my lines for memory. Halfway through the play, Kevin threw down the script. "It's break time!" Kevin pounced on me and started to kiss me and for once this year, I actually felt truly happy.

!KEVIN'S POV!

Things have been really hectic. Especially, after last night. Jake has been a nervous wreck, and Kyle is always thinking. I spend almost all my time trying to cheer them up. And Audrey too. I'm always scared she's going to go into some depression again. I don't want that to happen, so I try my best to help her out and to make sure she doesn't think about any bad things. I love her so much. To help me with this, I took her out for breakfast at IHOP. It was cool because we got to talk quite a bit. After breakfast, I took a shower and a nap and then went over to her room to help her run lines. I found out that all this Shakespeare stuff is really boring. Halfway through the play, I got tired of it and decided it was time for a break. I started to kiss Audrey and I could tell that she was finally and truly happy. After a while, I went back to my room and found both Jake and Kyle asleep. Poor guys. It was only three too. They must really be stressed. But I guess you really can't blame them.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

The next day, I slept pretty late; I guess pregnancy does that to you. When I did wake up, I felt pretty sick, so I just stayed in bed for a while. Sarah was still asleep next to me and I don't know where Audrey went. When I finally got out of bed and went into the kitchen, there was a note from Audrey. She had gone out to eat with Kevin. Sarah had come wandering out too. We talked for a little been until I really didn't feel good at all. While I was sitting there, thinking all this, the phone rang. My heart jumped and I was nervous that it was Jake. I answered it and it was. "Hello?" "Hey Alyssa." "Hey." "I was just wondering if on Saturday if you wanted to go somewhere tonight." "Uhh, ok, sounds great." "Alright, I'll give you the details later." "Uh, alright." "Ok, well I guess I'll see you later, I love you. Bye." "Love you too; yeah I'll see you later." I hung up the phone and all these thoughts started racing through my mind. What was going to happen?

!KYLE'S POV!

The next day, I woke up around 11. I hadn't realized how tired I was. I made myself some breakfast when the phone rang. It was Sarah. She had been crying and she told me that the baby had started to kick. It started to scare me too. I didn't know anything about babies. Was it supposed to kick? I didn't know! I was sure scared though, I had no idea what to do. I wasn't sure how to comfort Sarah... I had never been pregnant before. I just told her that we were going to get through this together and that I was just as scared as she was. She was still crying so I decided to go over there. Alyssa was asleep when I got there so I just silently sat there and held Sarah until she fell asleep too.


	10. Chapter 10

!JAKE'S POV!

I had invited Alyssa to dinner. That much was done... but I was just so nervous about the whole thing. What if she said no? What will I do then? I mean, I was as nervous as could be, and I thought she would say yes, but what if she didn't? How was i ever supposed to face her again if she said no? And another thing was that I had to get a ring, but I had no money. And it had to special for Alyssa. I was nervous to ask my parents. But I decided that I needed to do it as soon as I could, so it'd be over with! So I jumped in the rental car and headed over there. When I got to my house, I walked right on in. It seemed really quiet, not what I was use to. It was so weird. I found Mom and Dad in the kitchen. I asked them if I could talk to them for a moment. "Sure honey, what's up?" "Well, you know how you suggested me and Alyssa get married?" "Oh honey! You're going to ask her to marry you aren't you?" said my mom. "Yeah, but don't tell the rest of the family, I want it to be a surprise, and don't' tell Alyssa's mom either." "Alright, we promise" "But what I came here to do is to ask you if you could lend me some money to pay for the ring." My parents were silent for a moment. My Mom finally spoke up. "I think we can do that." I realized then how hard my heart was beating. I sighed; well that part was over with. "Thanks, mom I am so stressed I don't know what to do." She stood up and hugged me. "You're doing the right thing, though." "I know." "So, when are you going to buy it for her?" asked my dad. "Well soon, can you just give me the money now?" My Dad stood up. He walked over to the counter and picked up his wallet. "How much are you going to need?" "However much you're willing to give me." My Dad pulled a wad of money and handed it to me. "Thanks." "If you need anymore, just come back." "Alright, I will, oh and if you can, could you go somewhere Saturday night? I'm planning on asking her then and I want her to come over here to do it." "Sure son." The kitchen was silent again. I just realized how much my parents did for me. "Thank you guys so much. I don't know how to repay you." "Ah, you don't have to do anything, I know how stressful this can be...trust me" my Dad said.

!AUDREY'S POV!

Things were going so great right now. My boyfriend and I were better than ever and Alyssa and Sarah had finally gotten everything together. I also hadn't cut myself in over a week. I was just so happy. I had finally gotten everything straight and the play would start right when we got back from spring break and I had all my lines memorized. My homework was manageable now. Saturday night, after another date with Kevin, I unlocked the door. All the lights were off. I knew Alyssa was having a big date with Jake, but Sarah was supposed to be home. I didn't bother to turn the light on and started to go through the living room. All of a sudden, I hit something and fell over. I got up. "What the heck?" I walked over to the light switch and turned on the light. Sarah was lying in the middle of the floor, curled into a ball. She was crying. "Sarah... what are you doing." I walked over to her and squatted down to where she was.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Things had been getting a little better, I was used to the baby kicking and being around Jake hadn't been as weird. He asked me to go out with him tonight so I agreed, not thinking anything would happen really. He came to pick me up at a round 6:30 and he wouldn't tell me where we were going. I guess when we were getting close, he told me to close my eyes. I did so. Finally, the car stopped. "Open your eyes." We were at his parent's house. He told me they went out for the night and he had something special planned for us. We went in and he told me to go out and sit by the pool. I went out by the pool. There was a little set up with a little vase and flowers in it. I was wondering what Jake was up to. I sat for a few moments and then Jake came out carrying a bowl of something. It was pasta. We ate, and it tasted really good! I didn't know Jake could cook that well! After we ate, I helped him clear the table and wash the dishes. When we went back outside, I sat down but almost immediately after I did, he grabbed my hand and asked me to dance with him. "But there's no music." "So? You don't need music to dance!" I smiled, it was so romantic. I stood up and we just stood there by the pool, dancing. I couldn't help but find myself grinning. I buried my face into Jake's shoulder. I loved him so much. He finally pulled away. "Alyssa, I brought you out here to ask you something." My heart started beating really really fast; I now knew what was going to happen. I couldn't act like it though, he didn't' know that I knew. "Alyssa, we've been through a lot, and there's so much more we're going to go through together, with a baby and all, and I love you more then anything in the world --" I smiled he was so sweet. Before I could say anything he got down on one knee and said "Alyssa, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?" I looked absolutely shocked but a huge smile crept across my face. The answer came easily, "YES!"

!SARAH'S POV!

"Bye Alyssa!" Alyssa had just left to go out with Jake. Audrey had been gone most of the day with Kevin and Kyle was in his hotel room... sleeping. I was alone in this stupid hotel room. I sat in a chair, thinking about everything. The sky started to turn dark, but I didn't bother to turn the lights back on. The baby started to kick in. "STOP IT!" It was too much. Everything was happening too fast. I couldn't do much else, just sit there and think... I wasn't that tired considering I had slept a lot, I just sat there and thought. I thought about me and Kyle, the baby, Jake and Alyssa, their baby, Audrey and her problem (that was hopefully resolved), and what would happen in the future. I got up and started pacing. I thought about actually giving birth to this baby and I started to cry. I crouched down on the floor and curled up into a ball. I wish things would go back the way they were when we were younger. We just liked being with each other. We didn't have to worry about babies or marriage. Now things were way too complicated. I decided to just give up on thinking and go to bed. I was too tired to get up so I just fell asleep on the floor. I woke up in the morning and Alyssa and Audrey were still asleep in the beds. I looked at the clock it was 7. I stood up and got in the bed with Alyssa and around 7:30, Alyssa and Audrey woke up, the twin thing I guess. Audrey turned to me with sleepy eyes. "Are you ok, Sarah? I found you on the floor last night. You were sleeping really well, though, so I didn't want to wake up." "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking last night and fell asleep while I was doing that." "Oh, ok, well that's good." "Yeah" I suddenly remembered that Alyssa went out with Jake last night. I turned around. "So Alyssa… how was your date last night?" I said and gave her a little nudge. She beamed and that answered my question. "Congratulations." "Thanks." We all got out of the bed and made our way to the kitchen. We sat down and started to have breakfast and talked about the nights we had. I told them about my, oh, so exciting night of sitting around and thinking. Apparently Audrey had gone out with Kevin to a movie and dinner... the classic date. Never failed. I really wanted to go out with Kyle but I don't know. I was just too tired. Audrey's may have been good but Alyssa's night was the best. But as she explained what happened I had a twinge of jealousy.

!KEVIN'S POV!

On Saturday night, Audrey and I went out for dinner and a movie. I bought her a pizza and then we went to go see a romance. Audrey loves those. Watching the movie made me want to kiss her so bad, but there were some old people behind us. After the movie, we decided we should probably be heading back so we went back to the hotel and I gave her a goodnight kiss and went inside my room. It was 12 and Jake and Kyle were already asleep so I just snuck in and went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up and saw Jake lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, grinning. "How did things go last night?" "Pretty well, if I do say so myself." "Oh really, tell me more, I'm listening." "Well... she said yes." He grinned some more. "Congats, bro." "Thanks, man." he said. Well this was going to be officially weird. But I was happy for them anyway.

!KYLE'S POV!

I had asked Sarah to go out with me one night because it was almost time to go back and we hadn't gone out hardly any. I know she was feeling down and I just wanted to make her feel better. But she just told me that she didn't feel like... she was too tired. I hadn't spent hardly spent any time with her lately; this couldn't keep up for long could it? I was dying to spend some time with her. I knew she was pregnant and everything but I still wanted to be with her. The next morning, I went over to her room. Audrey answered the door and let me in. Sarah was at the table, just eating some cereal, but she didn't look like her normal self. She had bags under eyes and she all slumped over like her back hurt or something. She didn't look like her usual, bright, happy self."Hey baby, are you ok?" I asked her out of worry. She gave a faint smile "Yeah, I'm fine." "No, this is not fine, what's the matter?" "Can we talk about it alone?" She glanced at Audrey and Alyssa. "Oh, we'll leave. Let's go for a walk, Audrey." Audrey and Alyssa left the room. "Ok, now what's wrong? You haven't been acting like you usual self lately and it's scaring me, what's wrong?" "Kyle, I'm scared. You don't know what it's like. You've never been pregnant. It scares me every time the baby kicks and Audrey and Alyssa are always out and I'm left here to think about everything and I just end up throwing a fit." "Why didn't you tell me this before? You know you can always come to my dorm if you need me. And I'm sure if you talk to Audrey, Alyssa, or even Jake would help. Alyssa and Audrey are you best friends and Alyssa knows what it's like to be pregnant. But just remember, I'm always here for you. Always." Sarah looked down at her hands for a long time. I think she was crying. She finally looked at me. "Kyle, I'm just scared... but thank you." She wrapped her arms around my neck. "Anytime, now do you want to go somewhere? You know, get away from this place and go somewhere where you don't have to think about everything?" "Absolutely."


	11. Chapter 11

!JAKE'S POV!

Things were great. Alyssa had said yes and I felt like I living in Heaven. I wasn't sure how we were going to get all this planning done and everything with the baby on the way and finals, but I was just praying for the best. It didn't really matter because I was engaged. Wow, that was weird to say but I really am engaged. But there was still so much to be done with planning the wedding and everything and the baby's arrival was getting closer and closer. It was hard to comprehend when I thought about it. I could never imagine myself being a Dad today. Maybe in a few years, but not in a few months. I knew this would change my life. For the better, I was hoping. Well I had barely got any sleep last night from excitement so I was pretty tired this morning. I thought about it for a while and decided I should probably talk to Alyssa about the wedding. Even though it was early, it was probably for the best. I walked over to her room and knocked on the door. Alyssa answered it. She looked great even though she was still in what she slept in. "Jake!" She flung her arms around my neck and it made me feel good inside. She invited me in and I could see they were packing. That was a good idea. "Hey just dropping by to talk about some of the wedding plans but if you're packing I could come by later or we could just talk on the flight home." "Is it all right if we talk on the flight back to California? I'm helping them." "Sure, that's fine." "Alright, sorry but we'd have longer to talk." "No, its ok you're right, it'd be better to talk on the way home." "Alright." she smiled. Gosh I loved her smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled. "What time does the flight leave again?" she asked. "Uhh, about 3 hours." "Oh crap. Yeah, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later!" She kissed me on the cheek and closed the door. She was so awesome. I went back to my room and packed it took me about 2 hours because I kept getting distracted. At around 2:30 everyone got in the car and we drove to the airport we all boarded the plane and left within an hour. We were sitting in groups of 2 so I could talk to Alyssa alone. "So...didn't u say u wanted to talk about the wedding?" "Yeah." "What is it?" "Well, we just need to decide what we're going to do. Are we going to wait awhile? Wait till the summer? Wait till the baby is born? Is the wedding going to casual or elaborate? I think we need to start thinking about everything.""Mmhmm, you're right. What do you think we should do?" "I don't know. I thought you would know." I laughed a little. "So neither of us knows...well we have a 3 hour flight to get some things decided." "Yeah, I guess we do." "So first off, do you want to wait till the baby's born or not?" I sighed. I really didn't know what we should do. I thought Alyssa would have a definite idea of everything she wanted to and I would go along with it. "Well I don't really know. There are pros and cons to both. she laughed a little "it's confusing huh?" she added. I smiled at her. "Yeah." I put my hand on top of hers. "But we'll figure everything out. You shouldn't worry about it now. Just relax." "Ok I guess you're right. Tell you what, you can think about it and I will take a nap. Ok?" She laughed. "Sorry but I'm so tired." she added. I smiled. "No it's fine." She rested her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. This was going to be a very log few months.

!SARAH'S POV!

So we had been in Evanston a while and it was time to go back to California before school started up again. The next day we were all packed and headed to the airport and got on the plane. They didn't have 4 seats together so we had to sit in groups of 6. Kyle and I sat together, of course. I was glad to have some alone time just to talk. I was really glad I was with a guy like him. He was just so nice and supportive. I started to think about 8th grade when I met him. He was just a cute guy that liked sports and we had a lot in common. And now, 5 1/2 years later we were still together and I was pregnant. For some reason I just started crying right then and there. "Baby what's wrong?" "I just don't know how I'm going to take care of this baby when it's born by myself." "By yourself? What are you talking about? I'm going to be there." I finally figured out what was wrong with me this whole time and why I was always so upset and crying. Kyle never asked me to marry him and I think that's what I was always wanted. To get married then have kids. Not the other way around. "I know but..." I decided just to tell him the truth, exactly what I was thinking. "I always wanted to get married and have kids, not the way around." "You want to get married?" he asked dumbfounded. "Of course! That's what's right." Kyle smiled and chuckled half-heartedly. "All this time I thought you didn't want to get married. I've wanted to get married for the longest time, but I always thought you wanted to wait longer." "No, I don't. I mean with a baby on the way the baby needs a mother and a father. I guess I've kind of been jealous of Alyssa and Jake since they're getting married." "Is that why you've been so upset?" I nodded. "I'm so sorry Sarah. Are we getting married then?" "That's no way to propose" I laughed. "Alright then, well I can't really get down on one knee but Sarah, will you marry me?" I smiled, relieved. "Yes." "Oh, but I will make it up to you and make it more special and I'll get a ring. It'll be the best night of your life. We're going to take care of our baby." I sighed and laid my head on Kyle's shoulder. I was going to be Mrs. Sarah Darling. Then, I remembered how I got pregnant.

!AUDREY'S POV!

I left Sarah lying. She had fallen asleep and I could tell she had been upset about something. The next morning when I woke up, I saw Sarah in the bed with Alyssa. She was awake. "Are you ok, Sarah?" She explained to how she fell asleep while she was thinking. I didn't believe her, but I didn't want to keep talking about it. For the rest of the day we packed because tomorrow we were going back to California. I was excited because the play was coming. They're saying this is their biggest production ever. Right after Romeo and Juliet, though, we're starting on Chicago. I definitely want the lead part in that. I felt like I was on a role and life was actually on my side. It was a good feeling. I called my Mom before we left for the airport. I told her good bye and that I loved her. I was worried about her, but I knew she was strong. We hadn't gotten seats together on the plane, so we all sat in groups of two. I sat with Kevin and I was so glad to be with him and to talk. He was so great and I couldn't ask for anything better. I laid my head on his shoulder while he held my hand. He leaned over in my ear and whispered "I love you so much." I smiled. Hearing that was so good. Just think, a month ago we were really bad off and not getting along at all. I'm so glad that's over. I lifted my head and looked around. Alyssa's head was rested on Jake's shoulder and she was asleep. I looked over at Sarah. She laid her head on Kyle's shoulder, but then suddenly her eyes popped open. She seemed to realize something. Maybe she forgot something at the hotel. I'll ask later. I turned around back to Kevin and kissed him on the cheek.

!KYLE'S POV!

On the plane, Sarah and I agreed that we would get married. I was glad to hear that that's what she wanted to do. All this time, I thought she had wanted to wait. I just need to make it up to her and actually give a good proposal. So here we were, back at UCLA with school starting tomorrow. This year had gone by pretty fast so far considering everything. I was glad to be back, even though I did love my home, it's just good to be in a different environment. I settled back into my room and unpacked. I was ready for classes to begin. But I still had a day left. I was pretty exhausted, I decided a nap was in order so I climbed in my bed and fell asleep. I guess I must have really been tired, because I woke up the next morning at my usual 6 A.M. and got ready. I was psyched to get back on the field. I got dressed and went down to the cafe and got some breakfast before heading off to soccer practice. I don't know why but it's like I had an extra burst of energy. I guess I was just glad to be out on the field. Soccer is just so right for me. I was most happy on the field... and when I was with Sarah.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

We were back at UCLA. It felt kind of nice to be back even though I love my family. By now everyone knew that I was pregnant and Megan had already told a bunch of people about me being engaged. I was always happy now. I liked it but there was still so much planning to be done. Since I had slept on the plane, I wasn't very tired when we got back but I think everyone else went to sleep so I figured I should too. I woke up the next morning with enough time to get ready and meet downstairs for breakfast. After my classes I came back to my empty dorm and Jake came by to discuss wedding plans. We decided to do it before the baby is born and also, to have the wedding on the beach. That was my long time dream, to get married on a beach. After a while of planning, I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for a sonogram. Jake and I had decided to wait until the baby was born to find out if it was a boy or a girl so after we were assured our baby was healthy, we left and I went back to my dorm and slept.

!KEVIN'S POV!

The plane ride back with Audrey was great. We got to spend some time alone and it was really nice. I was glad to be back at school. When we got back, Audrey and I went to the cafe' and got some coffee and talked some. It was great being with her. Classes started tomorrow we went back to our rooms fairly early so we could get a good night sleep. The next morning went pretty fast. This was good because after classes I got to spend time with Audrey. I got up early. Jake was still asleep as usual. He was always sleeping in late. I got dressed and went to class. After class, I went to the cafe to have lunch with Audrey, Sarah, and Kyle. It was nice just sitting down, eating, and talking. After classes and after homework, I went by Audrey's dorm, knocked on it when she answered it; I took her hand and led her out to my car. "Where are we going?" "It's a surprise" I drove us down to the beach and we got there just as the sun was setting.


	12. Chapter 12

!JAKE'S POV!

Getting back to class was great. Actually having a schedule is what I needed. Over the next few weeks, Alyssa and Sarah were getting bigger. Even though they were getting bigger, Alyssa was so skinny normally that you could barely tell she was pregnant...but you could tell. Getting back on a schedule felt really good the last few days had been too...unsure, I guess. Audrey's production of Romeo and Juliet had been performed and it was great. A sell out. It seemed like everything was back on track. But drama always seemed to find our little group. Things had been pretty good Alyssa and I had basically decided on everything that we could think of for the wedding. We just needed to get started on ordering and buying and stuff.. Alyssa's mom hadn't really talked to her since the whole ordeal; I guess she hadn't really accepted it still. Luckily, she still agreed to pay for the wedding.

**A few months later**

!SARAH'S POV!

Everything has changed so much in the last few months. I've gotten a ton bigger so has Alyssa. We've all completed our first year of college, and I must say it's been pretty dramatic. School wasn't even the hard part of this year. But in the end, I think it's going to work out. Alyssa and Jake are getting married in less than THREE DAYS (including today)! When we were teenagers, we all made a pact. When Alyssa gets married, I'm the maid of honor, when I get married Audrey will be mine, and when Audrey gets married Alyssa will be hers. That saves a lot of conflict. Hormones have really kicked in hard. I haven't been in the best mood lately. I also find myself on an emotional rollercoaster. Alyssa and I have gotten into some pretty big tiffs since we're both crabby, but I still love her. In about 2 ½ days she'll be my sister in law. I have my dress and everything already and I'm really excited. But also, I'm kind of scared. I don't want to lose my brother, he's the best brother I have and I really don't want him to just blow me off now that's he's getting married. Just 1 more full day of normality, then comes all the change.

I've been taking it kind of hard, and so I decided to go see Kyle. He always cheers me up. I walked over to his dorm and knocked. No answer. I knocked again and this time his roommate answered. I looked in and saw Kyle wasn't there. "Hey, do you know where Kyle went?" I asked his roommate. "Uh, no, he just kind of left with his friends." He replied kind of groggily. I think I woke him up. Whoops. "Oh, ok thanks anyway" I said and sulked back to my dorm.

! KYLE'S POV!

"Dude, no way, you guys are NOT wearing white tuxes at my wedding." Jake told me. I laughed; "Just kidding, buddy, these things are hideous" He nodded. We finally found the perfect tuxes for the guys and left. I couldn't wait until Jake and Alyssa got married, after they did I could concentrate on my own wedding. But, since Sarah was Alyssa's maid of honor, I was Jake's best man so I was a pretty big part of the wedding. Luckily, only one more FULL day till all this is over. When I got back to my dorm, my roommate told me Sarah had dropped by so I decided to go see her. I knocked on her door and Audrey said she was asleep. Lately, Sarah's been a bit on the crabby side so I decided to leave her alone for now. "Tell her to call me when she wakes up, will you, please?" "Sure thing, Kyle".

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Wow. The day after tomorrow, I'll be Alyssa Baker. I'm really excited. And in a little more than a month, I'll be a mother. There's only one thing I'm dreading about the wedding. My _own_ mother, isn't that sad? Nobody should dread seeing their mother at their own wedding. But I do, she hasn't spoken to me since she found out I'm pregnant. She did however; pay for the wedding. Just the other day, I found out some really exciting but at the same time, depressing news. Apparently, when my dad wrote his will, he was mad at my mom (what else is new?) and left her hardly any money at all. What's exciting about that you ask? He left almost all his money to Audrey, and me, which is a lot considering we're rich. The catch: Audrey and I can't receive any money until we get married. Good news: that's only about 2 days away, for me anyways. Jake and I had already bought a house and have almost everything moved in. We've still been living at the dorm rooms though since we're not married yet. It's really pretty big but not near as big as the mansions Jake and I grew up in. It has 6 bedrooms and 4 baths though. Lucky for us, the house came with flooring and wall colors that we liked so we don't have to redo anything. We bought most of our furniture too. I do feel sorry for Jake though; he has to put up with me. I do admit, I haven't been easy to get along with at all. Freaking hormones are making me act like a jerk. I can't wait till this whole pregnancy thing is over.

!AUDREY'S POV!

Months have flown by and now I wish they would kind of slow down so I could think about it for a second. Alyssa and Sarah are huge and look like they're about to pop any minute and Alyssa and Jake are getting married tomorrow. I can't even believe it. Kevin and I are doing great and I have a feeling that he's going to ask me to marry him soon. That's what I'm hoping anyway. Mom has been doing badly lately. Ever since she found about Alyssa, she's been really torn up about it. I guess she's in denial. We'll see how things go at the wedding. The drama program this past year was great. I got mostly lead roles and Ethan finally left me alone after much persuasion (and threats) from Kevin. Alyssa and I go out to dinner the night before the wedding, just me and her, so we can have a sister's night out. I ask her how she's feeling and I can tell she's truly happy that she's finally getting married to Jake (we knew it was going to happen). She's excited about the baby. I told her I would baby-sit it (is it going to be a boy or a girl?) whenever she wanted me too. Compared to Sarah and Alyssa's life, though, I feel like mine is dull and boring, but I know things will get exciting.

!KEVIN'S POV!

Jake and Alyssa are getting married. I'm really happy for them, but now I feel like I have to ask Audrey to marry me and for some reason, I'm just not ready for that. I feel like we still need to live a little bit before we commit our lives to one another. But I feel that since her twin is getting married, she will want to... it's different for them though because Alyssa's pregnant and Audrey isn't. I really don't' know what to do. This is so hard. I decided, then, just not to worry about now. I won't worry about it until I need to. One wedding for right now is all I can handle... and it's not even my own wedding. I honestly can't believe it. 6 years ago when they started going out, I was so jealous and I would never have guessed in a million years they would get married. This is all just so crazy. And I remember using Audrey to get Alyssa and I feel ashamed. Why would I do that? Time really does go by quicker as you get older, though. That time feels just like yesterday. I thought it would be fun for all us guys to go hang out tonight since it will be the last night we will all be unmarried. Tomorrow, Alyssa will steal Jake away from us forever and who knows what things will be like then.


	13. Chapter 13

!JAKE'S POV!

It's the big day. I'm getting married and I can hardly believe it. Part of me can't way and the other part wants to run away. It's not just going to be me and Alyssa anymore. It's going to be me, Alyssa, and a baby. I'm scared we won't have time for one another anymore and we'll grow distant. I just want things to slow down now. I was in a room with Kevin and Kyle, about an hour before everything was starting. I was sitting on a stool, daydreaming and remembering everything that had happened in the past year, decade. Kevin paced the room, making me even more nervous and Kyle sat on a couch, jiggling his foot. The pressure was building and I had the biggest butterflies in my stomach. I hate that whole "the groom can't see the bride before the wedding" thing. I think it would help enormously if I could see Alyssa before. I wonder if she was as nervous as I am. The room was silent and it was driving me crazy. I could hear the clock ticking. Every second was growing longer, it seemed. Kyle started to hum as he continued to jiggle his foot and Kevin continued to pace back and forth. Every step, louder and louder. "Sit still!" I yelled all of a sudden. Both Kevin and Kyle looked at me with alarm. "Sorry. Nerves are getting to me" I apologized. "It's alright dude, you have nothing to worry about though it's all going to work out". "I know but still... it's intense." The room fell silent again and I went back to counting the minutes and seconds until Alyssa and I were finally married and we would begin a life together.

!SARAH'S POV!

The dressing room could be described in one word: chaos. I was running (actually, waddling) around, trying to get everyone to just get dressed and do one thing at a time. Audrey was trying her best to calm Alyssa down, who was breaking down at every minor problem. I don't blame her, though. She's pregnant and it's her wedding. The poor thing is about to pop and she still has to get married. I can't even imagine what she feels like. I will soon, though. My mind kept drifting to my own wedding. I would snap back to reality once I heard another person screaming. "Oh my gosh! My eyeliner smudged!" Ugh. I miss being a tomboy. I wish so badly I could just go back to the dorm and go to sleep but I couldn't because Alyssa was my best friend and Jake, my brother. I need to be there for them. I took a deep breath and went back to trying to get ready. After finishing my own getting ready, I turned around to a sea of... madness. I didn't know what to start with. I decided to find Alyssa and Audrey first. I finally found them in the bathroom. Alyssa was sitting on the toilet, taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. Audrey was next to her, holding her hands and telling her to calm down. "What happened?" I asked. "She was feeling a little bit faint. There's too much stuff going on out there." "I'll be fine." Alyssa said. "This is way too hectic. I'll be right back." I decided to go find Jake. I don't know why but I think it would help to see him and see if he's okay. I finally found him, Kyle, and Kevin doing just about the opposite of what the girls were doing. They were just sitting there. Motionless. "Sarah! How's Alyssa doing?" Jake jumped up when he saw me. "Ehh, not too well. She's over the toilet as we speak, how are you doing though?" He stared at me for a second. "I am about to go out of my mind." I looked at Jacob for a little bit. A sudden feeling came over me and I wanted to cry. I remember when we were still teenagers and we were best friends and we did everything together. When all we scared about was skateboarding and nothing else mattered. Now I'm letting him and my best friend go. Again, I missed being a tomboy. "I can't believe you're getting married." I practically whispered. "Sarah... everything will stay the same. We'll still be best friends." He paused. "I hope." "I love you, Jake." I threw my arms around his neck and shared the biggest hug I've ever shared with anyone. I hope he was right. I think he will be. Through the truths and the dares and everything in between, we'll always be best friends. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Right then and there I started bawling like a baby. I couldn't help it. Everything was going to be so different no matter what anyone else said. Things would NEVER be the same. We were grown up and moving on with other things in our lives. This was all just part of life.

!KEVIN'S POV!

The dressing room was quiet. I was pacing back and forth, feeling nervous for Jake. Kyle seemed to be in another world. He was jiggling his foot and humming. I've never been known for being the nervous-type, but I could feel the tension. Jake was about to break down, but before he could, Sarah came in and talked to him. I went over to the couch and flopped down next to Kyle. "How can you be so chill about everything?" Kyle shrugged. "It's not my wedding." "But it's one of your best friend's wedding. Does that not have a big effect on you?" "Ehh… not really, I mean let's face the facts. Everything after today will be fine there's no use in getting nervous. Weddings happen nearly every day." "Yeah but still...everybody still gets nervous." "Not me..." I had to admire Kyle for this. I wish I wasn't so uptight. When I think about it, I'm really different now than I was when I was a teenager. I guess that's a good thing, since I lied and manipulated a lot of people. Sarah left the room and Jake came back over in the chair. "It's almost time," he said. "Don't sweat it, bro everything will be fine." I said trying to keep a cool head. "Yeah, I guess. But, I mean, it's nerve-wracking." Kyle spoke up after that "What are you so nervous about, I mean what do you think is going to happen?" "That's the thing," Jake said, "I don't know."

!AUDREY'S POV!

Alyssa walked up to me. "I don't feel very good..." Alyssa was really pale and looked like she was about to pass out at any moment. I took her by the hand and led her into the bathroom, where she sat down on a toilet and started to breathe really deeply. "I don't know if I can do this?" "What are you talking about, Alyssa?" "I mean, it feels too soon or something." She paused. "I'm scared." "Alyssa, you're going to make the best wife. You have nothing to be scared about. This is to be expected. This is a big moment in your life." Alyssa nodded and in came Sarah. We exchanged a few words, and then she left, saying everything was way too hectic. I finally got Alyssa to calm down, but she said that she would stay in there. It was too busy out in the dressing room for her. I looked at Alyssa's wedding gown and ring. I hated to admit it, but I wish it was me getting married to Kevin. Why hadn't he asked me yet? Why do I always have to be the jealous twin? I smoothed down my dress, making sure I still looked ok. Alyssa had let us picked out our own dresses. I had picked a long, soft yellow dress. Nothing too wild. I sighed and looked at Alyssa. She was starting to look awfully pale again...

!ALYSSA'S POV!

This is it. After today I will no longer be Alyssa McCool. After today I will no longer have any alone time. After today I will be married and after a few months, I will be a mother. I will be all of these, at 18. I'm not even allowed to consume alcohol in the U.S. but I'm getting married and having a kid. As I started thinking about everything, I got sick to my stomach and Audrey took me to the bathroom and stayed there with me. The dressing room was just too crowded. Sarah came in briefly but then left complaining about it being crowded. Everything was just too stressful. Planning and ordering everything and all the decisions that were made. We had planned on having the wedding at the beach but changed our minds because we didn't want the rainy weather screwing everything up. Jake and I also decided to refrain on having a honeymoon until after the baby was born because it wouldn't be as fun if I was always sick and cranky.

!KYLE'S POV!

I don't understand why everyone makes a big deal about weddings. The hardest part is over, I mean you already found your soul mate and you already planned the thing all you have left is walking down the aisle and saying "I do". I don't see what's so nerve-wracking. Yet people still suffer from nervous breakdowns. Like Jake, for instance. He was telling everyone to be quiet. What did he have to concentrate on? Repeating the preacher's words? It'll all be over soon and then we can party. I had always been a mellow guy. Sarah says that's what attracted her to me. While everyone was wrapped up in teenage drama, I was doing my own thing. Jake's Dad came in and said we needed to go get in our places at the front of the Church. We all went up to the front and got in our places. Jake was trying to look mellow but was failing miserably, I mean it wasn't obvious to other people but it sure was to me, since I was one of his best friends. He was beginning to sweat profusely and Kevin and I, being such great friends, both offered him a handkerchief. He took one of them, nervously and turned his attention back to the aisle where grandparents and parents were being seated. His gaze was fixed and I couldn't tell if he was going make it. Then those chords rang out across the church and everyone stood up. It was time.


	14. Chapter 14

!JAKE'S POV!

I was standing at the front of the church in apprehension. This has been the longest day of my life. I've never had to wait so much before. I wish I could just fast forward through all of this so Alyssa and I could be married already. I'd be happy then. Now all I feel is sick to my stomach. All of the bridesmaids and the flower girl (my cousin, Sophie) were almost to the end of the aisle and when they got to the end, the organ started up and Alyssa started walking down the aisle. She was so beautiful. She kept her eyes fixed on me and when she reached me she gave her cousin Robert, who was giving her away, a kiss on the cheek and stood across from me. She mouthed "I love you" and I mouthed it back to her. This all felt so surreal, though. Like it was a dream. It didn't seem possible that a girl like Alyssa could even consider marrying me. But all the years we had spent together ultimately lead to this. All the drama we had endured in 7th grade just to get together was just the first step to this marriage we're having right now. The preacher did the whole "we are gathered here today" thing but I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. I was just standing there looking at Alyssa and thinking about what our life was going to be like. I finally snapped back to it when the preacher turned to me "Do you, Jacob Zachary Baker take Alyssa Nicole McCool to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?" "I do." "And do you, Alyssa Nicole McCool take Jacob Zachary Baker to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?" "I do." It's a done deal now. No more stressing and no more planning. This was the beginning to Alyssa and my new life. The preacher pronounced us husband and wife and then we shared our first kiss. Everyone clapped and we walked down the aisle as everyone smiled at us. This is the perfect beginning to our new life. We did the normal activities at the reception afterwards. Toasts, cake, champagne, and dance. Kevin, Kyle, my parents, and Sarah all made toasts. Sarah started to tear up during hers but it was out of happiness... I think. Alyssa's mom stayed at the back the entire time, she didn't even tell us congratulations. I know Alyssa and I'll have to reach out to her one day. But now's not the time. I don't want to spoil the good time everyone was having. Finally, the reception ended and Alyssa and I got to escape.

!KEVIN'S POV!

After the reception, all of us (except Alyssa and Jake of course) went back to Sarah and Audrey's dorm. We were kind of silent after a while. "It's weird just being us four," I said. "Yeah, do you realize that Alyssa and Jake were the first ones to do everything? They were the first of us to start going out, the first of us to get pregnant, and the first of us to get married." Sarah said. Audrey sighed. "It feels like Alyssa's gone forever now. She belongs to someone else." "What do we do now?" Kyle asked. We all sort of shrugged and looked at one another. What happened to us? We used to have the most fun of anyone and now that two of us are married, we're boring? That doesn't seem quite right. We sat there a while longer and finally I spoke up. "Come on guys. This is sad. We're acting like Jake and Alyssa were the only reason we have fun, which isn't true. We can have fun of our own." Kyle sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess we just need to get used to them not being here." Audrey and Sarah looked totally bummed out, though. I guess I can understand why, since it was their brother and sister they were letting go. "You want to go to the cafe'?" I ask. "And do what?" Sarah asked in a monotone voice. "Um. Drink coffee?" I said. She shrugged. We all went to the cafe and sat down with our coffee and just sort of stared at each other with nothing to talk about. Sarah let a few tears flow down her cheek. "It's so hard. I've spent practically every day since 7th grade with Jake and Alyssa and now I'll never see them." Kyle put his arm around Sarah and said "It's not like they're moving far away or… dying or anything. They're just married and moving out of the dorms." I put my arm around Audrey and said "Eh, who are we kidding? She's right. We'll hardly ever see them anymore." Audrey's shoulders started to shake. "Audrey, are you crying?" I asked. "No!" Audrey said as tears started to fall down her face. "Don't cry. You still have me." Audrey started to cry harder. "I hate change!" Sarah moved in closer to Audrey and they hugged. "Me too!" Sarah wailed. Kyle and I just looked at each other. Audrey and Sarah just hugged each other and talked/wailed to each other. How they understood what the other one was saying, I have no clue. I looked at them "Guys, it'll be fine. Trust me." "No it won't!" cried Audrey. "I just lost my only sister to her brother!" she said as she pointed to Sarah. "You didn't lose her, honey; you just have to share her now." "I don't like sharing!" Audrey wailed again. Now she was starting to sound whiney. Everyone in the cafe' was looking at us now. This was embarrassing. "Why did your brother have to come along and fall in love with my sister?" Audrey wailed at Sarah. "Why did your sister have to make my brother fall in love with her?" Sarah wailed back at her. This was getting ridiculous. "Guys, this is so stupid. Alyssa and Jake fell in love on their own accord you can't get mad at each other because of it. Just be happy for them." Sarah looked at me "I wouldn't be talking Kevin. You're the one who refused to be happy for them in 7th grade." Audrey started crying even harder then "I had forgotten about that." she wailed. Sarah stood up and stormed out of the door. Kyle yelled after her, "You don't have a car to get home, babe." "I don't care, I'll walk," she snapped. Audrey turned and looked at me. "How could you!" She pushed my shoulders. "How could I what?" I asked, backing away, trying to avoid a fight. "7th grade! You did so many awful things to me! How could I even forgive you?" She yelled at me, jabbing her finger at me. "You're not seriously getting in a fight with me about 7th grade?" I asked her. Audrey was going crazy. "Let me just take you back to your dorm. You need to cool off." I said, approaching her cautiously. "I can get there on my own!"

!AUDREY'S POV!

Things are falling apart now. Sarah has stormed out of the cafe' with Kyle trailing behind her. Now I'm standing here, yelling at Kevin about something that happened in 7th grade. I'm not sure what had overcome me, but I couldn't stop yelling at him. He had become a victim of my rage and right then I didn't care. "I can get there on my own!" was the last thing I said before storming out of the cafe' just as Sarah had done a few moments before. I ran down the sidewalk and onto the road. I could hear Kevin behind and unfortunately he was faster than me too. He grabbed hold of my wrist. "Stop it! You're acting like a brat! I've never seen this side of you before!" he yelled at me. "Well maybe we shouldn't get married then!" I yelled back at him. "Who said we were getting married?" he asked. "You're the worst boyfriend ever!" I yelled at him. "Fine! You're the worst girlfriend ever!" "You wish I were the worst girlfriend ever!" "Shut up!" Kevin bent down and wrapped his arms around my knees and picked me up. I started to kick my legs and arms as hard as I could, hoping I was hurting him. "What are you doing?" I yelled. "I'm not letting you walk home by yourself. You know there are rapists all over this campus." "There is not!" "What would you know about it?" "What would YOU know about it!" "I know plenty more about it than you do." "How would you know? You think I'm stupid, don't you? Just because you're majoring in teaching and I'm majoring in drama, doesn't mean anything!" "Did I say it did?" "You implied it!" He opened the door to the passenger's seat of his car and put me into the seat and slammed the door. He got into the driver's seat and put on his seatbelt. "Put on your seatbelt," he said as he turned the key and started the car. "I was going to anyway." He backed out of his parking spot and for the rest of the ride, it was silent. He parked in front of my dorm 5 minutes later. We both just sat, silent. "What are we even fighting about?" Kevin finally asked. "We should talk about it tomorrow," I said before I opened the door, got out of the car and slammed the door behind me.

!SARAH'S POV!

Ugh. Alyssa and Jake ruined everything. I walked the whole way back to the dorm with Kyle trailing a few steps behind me trying to talk to me. I got back to the dorm and saw that Audrey was slamming around the dorm. I ignored her. The more I thought about it, the more rage I had. I finally got up enough rage and I called Alyssa and Jake's house. Jake answered. "Hello?" "I hate you! You and your wife ruined everything! How could you abandon me like that?" I said bawling. "Sarah! Calm down. What's going on?" Jake said calmly into the receiver. I slammed the phone down. I was so mad; I couldn't even talk to him. Audrey came into my room now. "I hate your brother!" Audrey yelled. She looked awful. Mascara was flowing down her cheeks and her eyes were puffy. "I hate your sister!" Audrey let out an annoyed shriek and stormed into her room and slammed the door. The phone rang. I checked the caller ID. It was Jake. I answered it. "What do you want?" I snapped. "Sarah, calm down and tell me what's wrong." Jake has always been a calm person. "You ruined everything, Jake. You just went off and got married and abandoned me. How could you? I thought we were best friends. I thought you loved me." "Sarah, I didn't abandon you," he said still calmly. "You got married, didn't you?" "Yes. But—" he started. I cut him off "Well, it's the same thing!" I said still crying. Jake was silent, letting me cry it out, then he spoke again. "Sarah, I'm always going to be here for you. Just like when we were younger. We're still best friends. I can have a wife and a best friend. You'll be fine without me. You have Kyle. You two will get married and you will be happy. But through all that stuff, I'm still going to be here. You should know that." I didn't know how to respond. "No Jake! I'm not going to be fine without you! Don't you see? And besides I am not the only one who is having a hard time. Everybody is fighting! Audrey hates you and is fighting with Kevin about what happened in the 7th grade!" Jake was starting to get a little aggravated. "Well what do you want me to do about it? Get a divorce?" he said raising his voice a tad. "Well, that would be nice! Things would be back to normal." "No they wouldn't Sarah!" I couldn't stand it. I slammed the phone down again and cried myself to sleep.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

The phone rang while Jake and I were in bed. Jake answered it. "Hello?" That's all I heard him say and he hung up and picked the phone right back up. I didn't really listen to anything except "What do you want me to do about it? Get a divorce?" I jerked my head up and looked at him with scrunched eyebrows. It's the first night we're married and he's already thinking about divorce? He shook his head at me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He finally hung up and I looked at him. "What was that all about?" "Nothing." I raised my eyebrows. He sighed. "Ok, well Kyle, Kevin, Sarah, and Audrey are all fighting because we got married. Audrey and Kevin are fighting about what happened in 7th grade and Sarah and Audrey are fighting because Audrey says she hates me for taking you away from her and Sarah says she hates you for taking me away from her." I just stared at him. "Are you serious?" "Yep" I lay back down. "They said that?" "Yes, but honey, they didn't mean it, they're just upset." I felt so bad. Everybody was fighting and it was actually my fault? Jake acted so nonchalant but I don't know. I was really bothered by it. I stood up, got dressed and headed for the driveway when Jake got up and came running after me. "Honey, relax its ok." "No, Jake, it's not okay. This is my entire fault and I've got to fix it." I drove to Audrey and Sarah's dorms and knocked on their door. Sarah answered. "What do you want?" she snapped. Audrey came out and came running towards me. "Alyssa! Oh my gosh! I miss you so much," she said giving me a hug. I spent the whole night trying to resolve the problems.

!KYLE'S POV!

Things were a mess. I don't understand girls. I spent most of the night after Jake and Alyssa's wedding, following Sarah down the road, trying to talk some sense into her. It's like she's gone crazy because of this whole wedding. She's never acted like this before. She was crying hysterically the entire time and I wanted to just to catch up to her and comfort her but I wanted to give her space because she was so emotional. We finally reached the dorms and I went to mine after making sure she got safely in her dorm room. I could hear doors slamming and yelling for a good two hours before things finally quieted down. I decided not to intervene because I know Sarah hates that more than anything. I finally asleep and was glad that next day when I woke up that we could start over. The next day, everything was still stressful but better than last night. I just couldn't believe that all of this had sprouted from a marriage. Marriages are supposed to be happy but this one made us all miserable.


	15. Chapter 15

!JAKE!

Sarah's phone call had pretty much ruined our wedding night. I followed after Alyssa in my car and saw she was headed to the dorms. I wasn't sure what she was going to do. What could she do. I wasn't sure if I should help her or stand back and let her do it all. In the end, I went to Sarah and she went to Audrey and then switched off, trying to approach the situation cautiously. Audrey wouldn't look at me for a long time, ignoring even my existence. Finally, when I said "It's not my fault I fell in love with your sister. She seems happy with me, don't you think?" did she start to talk to me. She finally dismissed me saying we could talk about this later and that it had been an emotional night for her. Something apparently happened between her and Kevin. I think Sarah was fine with me, maybe still a little upset, but for the most part she was calm. I didn't know how she was going to react to Alyssa, though. I was a little worried because she seemed really angry at her. It would've been sad if they never came to a resolution. They had been such good friends for their whole lives and if something like this would tear them apart forever... I would feel like I needed to take the blame. When I knocked on the door to get Alyssa to go back home, they were both leaning on each other asleep. I smiled. They had obviously made up. I wasn't going to wait around all night in this place, though. I walked over to Alyssa and shook her gently and led her to my car slowly. "Did you make any progress with Audrey?" she asked me as she yawned. "Not really. She wouldn't talk to me at all." She sighed. "I see you made up with Sarah though." "Yep. Took long enough." Alyssa was slowly being lulled into a deep sleep. I placed my hand on top of hers. I can't wait to go on our honeymoon.

!KEVIN'S POV!

I couldn't believe it. Audrey was mad at me about something that happened in 7th grade. I knew that she was already emotional, which probably had a lot to do with her rage towards me. After she slammed the door on me, I sat in the car for awhile thinking about everything that had happened. Then, I slowly made my way up to my dorm that I now shared with Kyle. It seemed that everything had fallen completely apart in one night. Alyssa and Jake were gone, Audrey and I were fighting, Kyle and Sarah were fighting, Sarah and Audrey were fighting, Sarah was mad at Alyssa and Audrey was mad at Jake. I wasn't really mad at anyone. A little upset but not mad. Girls confuse the heck out of me. The next day, I woke up unusually late because I had a late class. I called Audrey and asked her out for lunch at the cafe' and she agreed. When we met and found a seat, we were silent for a long time. "So, where are we going?" I ask, not quite sure how to start off the conversation. "What do you mean?" "Well, I couldn't help but notice that you mentioned marriage in our little fight and we've never talked about that before." She looked down, almost embarrassed I think. She looked up. "Um. Well, Alyssa and Jake were getting married and now Sarah and Kyle are getting married... I thought maybe we would get married soon too. I was mistaken, though." She looked down again. I just kind of looked her stunned. I had no idea she felt this way. "Well…" I couldn't think of the right words. "Well… I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, are you even ready for that kind of commitment?" She gave me a look that I'd never seen her give before. "What do you think?" I shrugged. "I don't know what to think anymore honestly." "So, are we over?" She'd never been so blunt before. "...I don't want to be over." "Me neither." We just sat there for a while. I was trying to think of life without Audrey. It gave me the shivers. I couldn't even imagine it. "We've got to fix this," Audrey said in an almost whisper. She looked so vulnerable. Had I really hurt her than much?

!SARAH'S POV!

When I first opened the door for Alyssa, I didn't want to talk to her or even look at her at all but I didn't quite have the heart to slam the door in her face. She came in and not far behind her, Jake came in too. "Jake could you leave us alone?" I asked him. "Yeah, go talk to Audrey," Alyssa added. "Oh. Yeah," Jake said as he turned around and left the room. "So?" I asked Alyssa once we were alone. "We need to talk." "I know that." "So tell me exactly why you are you mad at Me." she told me with hurt in her eyes. Did she not know? I mean, honestly, it was pretty obvious why I was mad at her. I just kind of sat there thinking of how to put it. "Come on Sarah, you can tell me. I need to know." "Well, ever since you and Jake started going out in 7th grade, I've accepted it. But what you don't know is that I became the 3rd wheel in a way. Jake had always been my best friend and still after you both started going out, we confided everything to each other. We were there for each other. But now... it seems like you've taken him away permanently. He's not my best friend anymore, he's yours." She looked at me with sad eyes. "Sarah, I didn't take him away from you. He still loves you. We're both his best friends. Just like Audrey and he are mine now." I was getting annoyed. "But that's not even possible!" Alyssa took hold of my shoulders. "Yes it is. You're my best friend too." I looked at her. I didn't want to fight anymore. "I need to sit down," Alyssa said, put her hand on her back. "Oh! Are you all right?" I found myself asking. I was worrying about her. I helped her to the couch and we sat down. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted." she said yawning. "Me too," I said. We both sat down and I looked at her. "Are we good?" She smiled. "Yeah. We're good" she said smiling. I hugged her. I felt bad that we even had this fight. We both fell asleep on the couch but when I woke up, she was gone.

!AUDREY'S POV!

"We need to fix this," I said to Kevin. I desperately didn't want to break up, but I didn't want to act desperate. "Audrey I don't want us to break up at all. Do you understand? I love you and there's nothing I would change about you." He paused. "Did you want to break up?" I shook my head slowly. "No." I paused now. "Maybe we should take a break, though." "A break?" he asked slowly. He put his head into his hands and heaved a huge sigh and then looked at me again. "If that's what you want." "It's not what I want. I think it's what we need." "I don't think we need it at all. I'm perfectly fine going back to the way we were. I don't understand where all of this is coming from." "I think we've been around each other too much. We just... need a break for a little bit." "Fine. You know it won't be the same next time, though." "What?" Kevin stood up and left me, where I sat, looking at my food. Were we over or was it a break? What have I done? I stood up without eating any of my food and drove back to my dorm. I opened the door where I found Sarah sitting on the couch. "Hey. How'd it go?" Sarah asked. I walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. I laid my head on her shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it," I said as tears started to creep down my cheek.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

I finally got there and Jake caught up with me. We both went up to Sarah and Audrey's dorm. First, I talked to Audrey and Jake talked to Sarah. I went into Audrey's room and asked her "I know you're mad at Jake, but are you mad at me too?" She shook her head. "No, I'm not mad at you." "Well, that's good. But you shouldn't be mad at Jake either. He didn't do anything." She didn't say anything and just shrugged. "Audrey, you're going to have to give me more than that. I can't make everything better by myself." "Well, don't. Just let me be mad at him." I sighed. I didn't want her to be mad at him. The two people I loved most and they weren't on good terms. "I just don't understand why you're mad at him, though," I said starting to choke up. "Alyssa, don't get upset. It's just... it's just I feel like he stole you." I looked at her with tears welling in my eyes but before I could say anything else there was a knock at the door. I got up and answered it after wiping the tears off my cheeks. It was Jake at the door and he went to talk to Audrey while I went to talk to Sarah. After Sarah and I made up, we both fell asleep on the couch until Jake came in and gently shook me awake. After I was awake enough to walk he grabbed my hand and led me down to his car (we decided that since I was in no condition to drive just to leave my car there for the night). I fell into a deep sleep once we got back to our house but woke up early (well, earlier than Jake). I didn't feel like getting up so I just laid there and thought about everything and the mess they had become.

!KYLE'S POV!

The next morning, after everything had happened, I went over to Sarah's dorm at around lunchtime. When she opened the door, she seemed to be doing well. "Hey Kyle. Come on in. I was just making come lunch." I walked in. "I just thought we could talk about last night..." "Oh yeah. We can while we're eating." I was surprised. Since when did Sarah start making lunch? I sat down. "So..." I started not sure what to say. "Look Kyle, I'm really sorry about last night. I was unreasonable and overdramatic." I sat there, speechless. Since when does Sarah apologize and admit she was wrong this easily? "What's gotten into you?" I ask. "What?" "You're acting so... not like yourself." She laughs. "I know. I just feel... different." She sat a plate down in front of me and then sat in the chair across from me. I kind of gave her a weird look. "Since when?" "Well, when I got back to my dorm last night, Jake and Alyssa came by and everything got straightened out. Well, everything except the fact that Audrey is still mad at Jake." I shrug. "She'll get over it." Sarah placed her hand on mine. "That's what I love about you. You're not dramatic. You're so laidback." "Really? I didn't know." Good. Things are getting back to normal. I was surprised. I had come over here with a long speech prepared to try to resolve things but everything seemed to already be resolved. What a load off my chest.


	16. Chapter 16

!JAKE'S POV!

Alyssa is due any day now. I've been waiting in apprehension and my stress level is starting to go up, but I'm trying to stay calm around Alyssa, so she'll stay calm and happy. She's mostly been lying around, though. Sarah is also inching closer to her due date. I don't know what will happen once they go into labor. I guess we'll find out... Kevin came by one day. He started telling me how he and Audrey were on a "break", but things had ended badly on their last date. He wanted me to go ring shopping with him. "Dude, I don't know if I can anytime soon, Alyssa is due any second now." "Come on Jake, I really need your help. You've already gone through this." "I don't know..." "Dude, we're just going to be gone an hour or two. There's like, nothing is going to happen." I think about it. I guess he needs help and he's my best friend. "Ok. But we can't take long. I want to be here for Alyssa." "I promise. It won't take long at all." I tell Alyssa I'm going and kiss her goodbye, then I get in Kevin's car and we're off to the jewelry store. "So, what were you thinking of getting her," I ask when we get to the store. "Oh, I don't know. Something nice." "Dude, everything's nice..." "Well, I don't know. Just, whatever catches my eye?" "Whatever ." The whole time we're in there Kevin seemed really nervous. He was really picky too. I kept pointing out different rings but he would always say "No, dude, it has to absolutely perfect." "How do you know she'll even accept it? I thought you said you two were on a break." "I know, man, but ever since I walked out—" "Wait, you walked out?" "Yeah." "What's wrong with you? That's such a girl thing to do." "I don't know... But ever since I walked out, I can't stop thinking about her. That's got to be a sign, right?" I raised an eyebrow at him and let out a sigh. "Dude, are you sure you want to spend all this money on this? I mean, after you did that I don't know if there's any chance of her accepting." His head dropped. "Yeah, it's worth it." He glanced down and then his eyes got wide. He started to tap on the glass of the case. "That's it! That's the ring." I go over to look at it, but my phone starts to ring. "Hello?" "Hey Jake! All right, ok, where to start--" "Wait, is this Kyle?" "Yes! Dude, Alyssa's going to have the baby!" "I know... any day now..." "No! More like right now!"

!SARAH'S POV!

Ever since Audrey and Kevin went on their "break", Audrey has been doing nothing but sulking around. I decided that it was time she actually get out and do something. She agreed to go see a movie with me after a while of convincing. I made sure it was a comedy too. I know not to take anyone to a romance when they're going through romance problems. She still hasn't exactly told me what happen, but I'm not going to pressure her to tell me. She'll come around. I'm getting huge, though and I really shouldn't have gone out. I'm supposed to be resting, but can you imagine lying around all day. I sure can't. I think it kind of helped her a little bit, she would smile and even let out a laugh every once and a while. Definite progress. In the middle of the movie I felt my cell vibrating and usually I don't answer my phone when I'm in a movie but I saw it was Kyle and I could feel that something was wrong, so I did. "I'll be back in a second," I say to Audrey and I waddle out in the aisle and out of the theatre. "Hey Kyle." "Sarah! Oh gosh..." "Kyle, calm down. What's going on?" "Ok, ok. All right." "Kyle, spit it out!" "Alyssa's having the baby!" "Ok. Just stay calm. Get Alyssa to the hospital. Don't get in a wreck. Audrey and I will be there in a little bit. Did you call Jake?" "Yeah, I did that." "Good." "See you in a bit." I hung up and returned as fast as I could. I grabbed Audrey's arm. "Come on we have to leave." She got a worried look on her face. "What's going on?" she whispered. "I'll explain on the way there." We got in the car, with her driving. "All right. Where are we going?" "The hospital. Alyssa's having the baby." "Are you serious? Awesome!" Audrey turned the key and sped off. "Hey! You can slow down a little bit. We don't have to break the law to get there." "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited." Perfect timing. It seems that Alyssa's baby has knocked Audrey out of the blues. Unfortunately, the hospital is 20 minutes away with no traffic and there was a ton of traffic. Audrey was practically shaking the whole way there, I guess from excitement. I had to say "Audrey, chill out" about a million times. She finally went screeching into the parking lot and we (with a little help from Audrey) walked into the hospital. We walked into a waiting room, where we see Alyssa and Kyle. Alyssa was in a wheel chair and Kyle was practically yelling at the reception lady. "I don't know any of that stuff! I'm not her husband!" "Are you her boyfriend?" the lady asked calmly. "No! I'm not!" Audrey walks over to the desk and pushes Kyle out of the way. "Hi, I'm her sister. I can give you all the information you need." I look at Alyssa who is trying to stay calm and is taking deep breaths. "Are you doing ok?" "Yeah, I think so," she said between breaths. I smiled at her. "Can you believe it? You're going to be a mother!" She groaned out of pain. I just stood there looking at her wondering if I was going to go through the same pain she is going through. That was when I really got scared. I wasn't sure what to say to Alyssa next, but thankfully Jake and Kevin came running in. "Alyssa!" Jake was by her side in a second. I just watched, knowing this too would be my fate in a couple of weeks or days. That's an awful way to think of it.

!AUDREY'S POV!

Alyssa is having the baby and I can't even believe it. Usually aunts don't have very big roles, but I know I will. I hope I will... I give the receptionist all the information she needs, while Jake wheels Alyssa back behind the doors. I'm not sure if I should go back in the back with her or stay out in the waiting room. I decide since I'm her sister, I'll go back with her. I catch up with Jake and Alyssa who are following doctors. They give her a room and help her on to a bed. I'm by her side the second she gets settled, with Jake on the other side. Alyssa seems like she's in agony. Why do women do this? She clenches Jake's hand and he seems like he's agony too from how hard she's holding his hand. "Alyssa it's going to be all right. It'll all be over soon." "Not soon enough," she says through clenched teeth. A doctor comes and they ask her if she wants the drugs for the pain or not? She nods furiously. "All right, ma'am. This may hurt a little, but you'll feel better in no time." The woman pulls out a long needle and I had forgotten, until then, how much I hated needle. "Oh no..." I start to feel a little woozy. Even the sight of a needle... I grab on to a chair. "Alyssa, I'm so sorry. I need to get out of here. You can make it with Jake, right?" She doesn't answer, but I think she understands. She's always understood my big fear of needles. I try to stand up straight again, and hold on to the wall as I walk out of the room, down the hall and into the lobby. Kyle, Sarah, and Kevin stand. "How is she?" they all ask at once. "She's doing fine. I couldn't stay in there any longer, though. They pulled out this huge needle..." I shudder and slip down into a seat and put my head in between my knees. "Are you going to be ok?" I hear Kevin ask. Sarah nudges Kyle. "Um. I think I need to go for a walk." Kyle actually picks up the hint and the two go outside for some air. "Hi Audrey," Kevin says. I'm surprised he's talking to me like this. I'm still mad at him, though. "...Hi Kevin." I put my head in between my knees again. "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." I feel his hand on my back and I flinch, but he doesn't move it. I'm sorry for what I said. On that date." "Are you really?" "...Yes." "You really hurt me, you know." "I know. And I regret what I said. Ever since I've been apart from you, I can't stop thinking about you." I sit up now. "Really?" "Really." "You're not just saying that?" "No. You know I wouldn't. We've been together too long to waste such a good thing. I'm going to make it up to you too." "Really? How?" "I'm taking you out on a fancy dinner tomorrow night."

!KEVIN'S POV!

I was really thankful that Jake finally agreed to go ring shopping with me. I wanted everything to be perfect and he had already gone through this. Finally, I found the perfect ring and Jake's cell rings. I didn't pay attention to what it was about because I was talking to the saleslady but he slammed his phone shut and grabbed my arm. "Dude, we have to leave. Now." I shook his hand off. "Geez Jake, relax she's going to get a different sized ring for me. Why are you so uptight all of a sudden?" "That was Kyle, Alyssa's in labor; we have to get to the hospital. Now." "Ok, ok." I turn to the saleslady. "Um. I'll have that to go. Just... give me the box." I pay for it as quick as possible and we're out of there. I'm pretty sure I broke a few laws on the way to the hospital, but hey, we didn't get caught. Once in the hospital, Alyssa, Jake, and Audrey went behind the doors. Audrey came out shortly, looking pale. She apparently has a fear of needles. I knew that. Sarah and Kyle left and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to apologize to Audrey. She agreed to go out to dinner with me the next night. That was the perfect time to propose. I wasn't going to let her know that, though. As the night wore on, the hours seemed to grow longer and longer. Sarah and Kyle returned and we were all exhausted and sort of leaning on each other for comfort. When was Alyssa going to pop this kid out? "Dude, I'm so tired. When is this going to be over?" I asked. "Shut up, Kevin. Be patient," Sarah said. I rolled my eyes at her. I looked around; almost everyone had cleared out of this waiting room. I guess there weren't many pregnant women in L.A. right now. I tried to sleep but couldn't get comfortable. Audrey started to lean on me more and more as time went on. She was falling asleep and using me as her mattress. Finally, Jake came out and we all woke with a start and we were all asking the same questions: "How is it? What is it? Is Alyssa ok?"

!ALYSSA'S POV!

Jake had gone somewhere with Kevin but I had no clue where. I wasn't allowed to know. Sarah and Audrey were in the movies. They had invited me but I didn't feel like it at all so I was stuck in this house by myself. And of course, with my luck, the baby picked that moment to decide it was tired of being in my stomach. While I was watching TV, I kept feeling severe pains in my stomach but I didn't think anything of it until my water broke. I freaked out. I couldn't call Jake because he was who knows where and Audrey and Sarah wouldn't answer their cells probably because they were in the movies. I remembered that Sarah had said something about Kyle being at the cafe so I called him quickly. "Kyle, I need you to pick me up. Now," I said between breaths. "Alyssa? Is that you?" The pains were getting worse. "Yes it's me; get your butt over here." "Why?" "There's no time for questions. Just get over here. I think the baby's coming." "Oh my God! I'm coming!" When he (finally) got here he kept asking me questions but not giving me time to answer them. "Where is Jake? Where is Audrey? Where is Sarah? Where is Kevin?" Then he started answering himself, completely ignoring me. "Oh yeah, Sarah and Audrey are at the movies. But where is Jake? Why can't he be here? Why me?" "Kyle! Shut up and help me get in the car!" We got there without crashing thankfully and Kyle was going completely insane. Thankfully Audrey and Sarah got there and finally Jake and Kevin arrived. I was so glad to see Jake. He ran in and came to hold my hand. They wheeled me into a room and I felt like I was going to die. I had almost broken Jake's hand from squeezing it so hard. I could see his eyes watering from the pain. I tried to lighten up my grip but the pain was way too intense. Jake just stood there the whole time trying to keep me calm and keep my mind off the pain. The pain did die down when the pain killers kicked in, however. I just can't wait for this to be over.

!KYLE'S POV!

Why did I have to be the one in charge of Alyssa when she went into labor? I don't know anything about that stuff. I could've killed her. I was so disoriented and clueless, I was panicking and I don't panic. I was yelling at the receptionist when Audrey and Sarah arrived right in time. Right after they came, Jake and Kevin came running in. I was never more thankful to see them before. They could take over. Audrey filled in her paperwork and stuff while Jake went back with Alyssa. Audrey soon followed but came back out not long after. Sarah and I left Audrey and Kevin alone for a bit. Sarah and I took a (slow) walk around the hospital and finally made it back. It looked like Audrey and Kevin had made up. We all eventually fell asleep or were falling asleep when Jake came in, looking exhausted. We bombarded him with questions, but all he could say was "Twins..."


	17. Chapter 17

!JAKE'S POV!

I can't believe it. Alyssa had twins. We should have seen this coming. I mean, most people know when they're going to have twins, right? Two of them. That's one more kid we have to take care than we expected to. I just can't believe it. Not even while I'm sitting here, watching Alyssa hold them. How were we going to pull this off? We both were planning on going back to school in the fall, just at different times in the day. It would've been easier just having one baby to take care of, but now we have 2. One boy and one girl. We didn't even have names prepared. We did end up naming, though. Alyssa's favorite names. I would go along with whatever she wanted. Rylee and Cayden were their names and they were absolutely beautiful and perfect. After a little while, the doctor came in and after checking everything, said we were free to go home. I drove us home and when we got inside Alyssa laid down Rylee and Cayden (who were sleeping) and fell asleep in our bed too. Not long after, they started crying. They cried a lot. Alyssa and I alternated them. As much as I love them, I kind of wish there was only one of them. We weren't paired for two. Heck, we weren't prepared for one. How are we going to get through this? After a few hours Alyssa and I were sitting on our bed across from their bassinets desperately, practically begging them to quiet down. We tried pretty much everything but nothing worked. Alyssa leaned her head on my shoulder "why won't they stop? I'm so exhausted." I don't know, honey. This is getting ridiculous, though. We could... call your Mom?" "But she's mad at us." "I know. But this is a desperate situation. We need her. I think your Mom would understand." she sighed. "I guess. But you do it. I don't feel like getting yelled at." "She won't yell at us..." hardly believing my own voice. I pick up the phone and dial the McCool household. It rang about two times. "Hello?" "Hi, Mrs. McCool?" "Yes, this is she." "Yeah, this is Jake." "Oh." "Um. Alyssa just had the babies yesterday." "Babies?" She emphasized the "s". "Yes. It's twins." "Oh." she said with interest. "And we were wondering if you could come stay with us for a few days. This is too much." "Uhh..." She thought about it for a few seconds. "Please? They won't stop crying and we need sleep." A few moments of silence. "I think I could arrange that." "Thank you so much!" "I'll come as soon as I can." I hang up the phone. "I told you she wouldn't yell at us." "No, she'll save it for when she gets here." "I think she's past the yelling. She'll just make us feel guilty." "True." There was a moment of silence. Alyssa lifted her head and turned to me and whispered to me, "Shh be very quiet and maybe they won't start again." Right as we turned to get in the bed, they started again. "We need a system," I say getting out of the bed.

!KEVIN'S POV!

I was so nervous. I spent like an hour just getting ready, but everything had to be absolutely perfect. Nothing could go wrong. I checked my pocket to make sure I still had the ring and headed over to pick up Audrey. Audrey came out of her dorm quickly after I knocked on the door. "Sorry, it's a mess in there. I didn't want you to see." I looked at Audrey up and down. "You look amazing." She smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself." We went down to my car and headed to one of the nicest restaurants in town. When we got there we were seated and my palms were sweating so badly. My nerves were really getting to me but I tried to hide it so Audrey couldn't tell. After ordering our food and eating it, I knew it was time for me to get down to business. "I'm so full," Audrey said, looking half miserable. "Remind to never eat again," she said, leaning back in her chair. "All right. I'll remember that." She said that every time we went out to eat. "Before we go, though, I need to ask you something." "Ok. Shoot." "Uhh..." I said looking around. My palms were sweating even more right about now. "What is it Kevin?" I looked at her. "Ok. I'm just going to do it." She looked a little confused. I got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" Her eyes popped out of her head. "You weren't kidding were you?" "What?" "You really were going to make it up to me." I laugh. "So, is that a yes or no?" "How can I say no?" "So, that's a yes?" "Yes!" Right after, I got a call on my cell phone. "Hello?" "Kevin! Sarah's going into labor!" "Kyle?" "Yes!" Poor Kyle. He had to deal with two pregnant women in two days. "Ok, we'll be there shortly."

!SARAH'S POV!

We got into the car after Alyssa and Jake left the hospital. I wasn't feeling really slow, like I was about to explode. I was looking forward to getting rid of this belly and back into shape. Kyle pulled out of the parking lot and we were on the way home. We got stuck in traffic, though on the highway. Right then, I knew it was time. "Kyle. Turn around. Go back." "Why? What's wrong?" "It's time" His eyes grew wide and he sped back to the hospital. When we got there we got the same reception lady "weren't you in here yesterday?" "Yeah, with my best friend's wife. This time, it's my fiancé." "Ohhhh." She nodded. "So, can you help us?" Kyle asked impatiently. "Yes, I can. I need her information." He fumbled through her questions. He was so jittery and nervous. "All right. We can take you back now." "Finally!" Kyle yelled. Sometimes he was so embarrassing. "Kyle. Go out to the waiting room and call everyone." I said as they helped me into a wheel chair and started pushing me towards the room. "Ok. I can do that" Not long after, he came into the room they had me in. He still looked really jittery. "Kyle, just calm down. I can't be calm if you're not calm." "Ok, ok. I'm calm now." He said, taking a deep breath. "Somehow, I don't believe you." I take another deep breath. The real pain was starting to come. As soon as the doctor came in, he started freaking out even more. I grabbed his hand and looked at him "Kyle, calm down or get someone who is calm in here with you." "I'm sorry. I'm trying," he said, taking deep breaths again. I had to start pushing now. Kyle looked down to see what the doctor was doing. His face turned white and he slumped down to the floor. Right then, Audrey came running into the room and stepped over Kyle. "Just in time." "Hey, how are you doing?" she asked. I moaned in pain. "It's ok. Everything is going to be fine." "Is everyone else here?" "Yeah, they're right outside." "Good. Can you send Jake in please?" "Uhh. Sure." A minute later Jake came in and thankfully, was a lot calmer than Kyle. "Wow, this is my second time in the last 24 hours," he said smiling. I just pushed. A few hours later, Kyle and I had a new baby boy. I was actually relieved to have a boy. I wasn't ready to go through all that girl stuff quite yet. That's when I realized that Kyle and I weren't prepared for this baby at all. We named him Dylan. Everyone else came in afterwards and Audrey and Kevin had some big news for us. Kevin stood up. "Guys, we have something important to tell all of you." They looked at each other and Audrey said, "We're getting married!" I found this slightly predictable, but I was still happy for the couple. Things were finally becoming good.

!AUDREY'S POV!

"So, that's a yes?" "Yes!" This is what I had wanted for so long and it finally happened. I was happy that I wasn't expecting it either. It wouldn't have been any fun if it hadn't been a surprise. It couldn't have been anymore perfect, though. It seemed that Kevin was my soul mate. But what did I have to compare him to? Nothing. That's what I like about it. We received a call shortly after his proposal and Sarah was in labor. We arrived at the hospital, probably breaking some laws again. I ran into the back, where I found Sarah pushing and Kyle passed out on the floor. Although Kyle seems to be Mr. Cool is real life, when it comes to these sorts of situations, apparently he doesn't know how to handle them. Jake came back too and we both helped Sarah deliver her baby boy, Dylan. Afterwards, I felt like I needed to face Jake. I had been avoiding him too long and it's about time I grew up. "Jake? Can we talk?" "Oh yeah. Absolutely." We walked into the hall, outside of Sarah's room. "What's up?" "I just wanted to apologize. For you know, being so rude to you lately." "Don't worry about it. I understand. I knew you would get over it." "No, you didn't," I say, smiling at him. "Yeah... I did," he said smiling back at me and walking back into Sarah's room. That's all it took. One simple sentence that resolved everything. I wish I hadn't been so stupid before. I went back into the Sarah's room where they were passing around the baby. One day, Kevin and I would have one of our own.

!ALYSSA'S POV!

I was so exhausted when Jake and I got the call that Sarah was now in labor. I really didn't want to go back to that place, I had had my fair share of it the night before but it was my best friend so of course I had to. Jake drove us there and went into the room with Sarah while I stayed in the waiting room with Kevin because Audrey had gone back too. I couldn't since I had two babies to take care of. After a few hours, Jake and Audrey came out and said that she had had a boy and named him Dylan. Kevin and I went back with them and Audrey and Kevin announced they were getting married. Audrey showed me the ring and I looked at Jake. "So, that's where you were when I went into labor weren't you?" He smiled. "Yeah. Kevin needed help." After a while Jake and I decided that it was about time we get back home. We stayed up most of the night but finally fell asleep at around 4. I couldn't wait for my mom to come tomorrow. She'll know what to do.

!KYLE'S POV!

"Kyle. Turn around. Go back now," Sarah said. I knew something was wrong and I turned around. It was time for the baby. I started to panic, though. I'm usually a very calm person, but I'm not good with medical stuff at all. This was too much. First I was in charge of Alyssa and now I have to be in charge of Sarah. I was a little more freaked out, because with Alyssa, she and Jake had to take them home and take care of them. With Sarah, I had to help and I'm completely not prepared. After pretty much yelling at the receptionist, we went into the back. But after I saw was Sarah had to do, I blacked out and I don't remember much after that except for waking up to Audrey saying "Kyle! You have a new baby boy!" I got up slowly to see everyone gathered around Sarah and I went and sat next to her on the bed. She handed him to me. Sure he didn't look like me but that was to be expected. That didn't mean I love him any less though. He was perfect, of course. Now I was looking forward to this whole parenthood thing.


End file.
